As we gather here today, we ask that each member take time to recognize the traditional treaty territory of Mi’kma’ki. To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honouring Indigenous people who have been living on and caring for these lands since time immemorial.
We understand how important it is to acknowledge the long-standing and painful history that has brought us to reside on the land, and we must continue to seek to understand our place within that history as partners and allies of all Indigenous people.
Many of us in this room are beneficiaries of ongoing colonialism. This isn’t something that exists only in the past. It is present. It is in our relationships, our systems, our institutions.
We all have been privileged to build a life here in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded land of the Mi’kmaw People, a territory governed by the Peace and Friendship Treaties.
We believe it is important to name that this land is also known by many to be the Birthplace of Black heritage and culture in what is now known as Canada, following the forcible displacement and enslavement of people of African descent. There are over 20,000 people in Nova Scotia identifying as being part of the African Nova Scotian community.
We bring acknowledgement into the space we share together today because we must prioritize relational accountability in our work as union activists and with each other. Much of the privilege many of us have in this space stems from colonialism in the past and today, and in the oppression of Black & African Nova Scotian people.