MLA Annual Conference 2026 Beyond Buzzwords

Land Acknowledgment Statement for Annual Conference in Novi

As those in the library profession gather to learn and work together, we acknowledge our presence on the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe people – the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi, known collectively as the Three Fires Confederacy. Much of southeast Michigan was ceded to the United States through the 1807 Treaty of Detroit, contributing to the dispossession and displacement of the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, and Wyandot peoples from their ancestral lands. We recognize the enduring presence of Anishinaabe peoples in Michigan and honor the sovereignty of the Native nations whose histories and communities remain connected to this region.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation, and also a way of honoring the elders and native inhabitants, both past and present, who have lived and worked on the land - beyond memory or recall. We recognize the painful history of genocide, displacement, migration and settlement that brings us together.

MLA is dedicated to improving community relationships and making our organization a more supportive and inclusive place for Native and Indigenous voices and perspectives. We encourage everyone to learn the histories of this land, to look at who has and does not have access to its resources, and to examine your own place, abilities, and obligations within this process of reparative work that is necessary to promote a more equitable and socially just world.

As part of our commitment, MLA has added Indigenous resources and the history of this region on our event website and will provide a small donation to the American Indian Health and Family Services, an organization serving indigenous people and families throughout southeast Michigan.

Through these small actions, MLA will continue to recognize and support the sovereignty of Michigan’s Indian nations and Indigenous Peoples when we gather to learn and work together.