As we gather, we honor and acknowledge that the University of Colorado’s four campuses are on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota, Pueblo and Shoshone Nations. Further, we acknowledge the 48 contemporary tribal nations historically tied to the lands that comprise what is now called Colorado.

Acknowledging that we live in the homelands of Indigenous peoples recognizes the original stewards of these lands and their legacies. With this land acknowledgment, we celebrate the many contributions of Native peoples to the fields of medicine, mathematics, government and military service, arts, literature, engineering and more. We also recognize the sophisticated and intricate knowledge systems Indigenous peoples have developed in relationship to their lands.

We recognize and affirm the ties these nations have to their traditional homelands and the many Indigenous people who thrive in this place, alive and strong. We also acknowledge the painful history of ill treatment and forced removal that has had a profoundly negative impact on Native nations.

We respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land. We honor them and thank the indigenous ancestors of this place. The University of Colorado pledges to provide educational opportunities for Native students, faculty and staff and advance our mission to understand the history and contemporary lives of Native peoples.

The UCCS Psychology Department stands strongly as allies of those protesting both the recent and long history of deaths through violence in our racist society. We are firmly antiracist, and work actively to raise our own awareness, understanding, and commitment to action toward the advancement of social equity, justice, and inclusiveness. We recognize the extraordinary pain that is born by Black members of our society whose lineage of slavery in the U.S. continues to produce policies and practices that threaten their lives and livelihood. We deeply grieve the loss of innocent lives of Elijah McClain, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, as some of the most recent Black victims of senseless and tragic killings at the hands of police. We want to acknowledge the students, faculty, and staff who may be sharing in this incredible sadness and pain. We also want to acknowledge the ways in which that pain surrounds us, impacting our society more broadly in ways that we hope will lead to significant changes.

We seek to participate in changes that improve social justice and equity in the coming days/weeks/months/years. We acknowledge that psychology has historically contributed to systems that perpetuate racism; we will actively attend to our history and work to change our future impact. As such, our department commits to improving our own community’s inclusivity. Some immediate actions we are taking are to conduct a student survey about areas of concern and opportunity for change in our department. A departmental Diversity Committee is building a strategic plan of action over the summer, with plans for implementation of specific activities in the fall. The plan will incorporate recommendations from experts in leading departmental cultural change as well as from the suggestions of a graduate student discussion that followed participation in the “Racism Pandemic” Special Townhall hosted by APA. We will be creating mechanisms for input and engagement from all members of our community.

In preparation for the social justice work we have to do, we encourage all to engage in a substantive self-education effort. Here are two reasonable places to start: anti-racism resources; what can you do. Watch for more opportunities to learn, grow, expand consciousness, communicate and work for justice for all members of our society. We acknowledge that this will be a long-term process that requires effort and, at times discomfort, which we commit to do.