We acknowledge the violent systemic injustices upon which our settlement came into being.

 

We extend our respect to the past, present, and future Luiseno, Cahuilla, Cupeno, Kumeyaay, and Northern Diegueño people who have lived on and cared for this land since time immemorial.  We honor their continued legacy of stewardship and reciprocal balance with the land and we uphold their knowledge that we are part of, not separate from, the natural world.
 

We acknowledge that our nation was built by the enslavement of Black and Indigenous people, families, and communities.  We also recognize the many workers from China, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Philippines, as well as countless women and children whose forced or underfunded labor continues today.

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It is our shared responsibility to face these Truths and to actively dismantle their ongoing impacts.