Land Acknowledgement

The City of Brantford and surrounding area is on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee and the Attawandaron peoples. Our work, activism and analyses are not, and never will be, complete unless we acknowledge and remind outselves and others, that colonization is not just "a thing of the past". We must acknowledge that Settlers have access to this land because of colonial violence. The Haldimand Treaty of 1784 guarenteed the exclusive use of 950, 000 acres along the Grand River for members of the Six Nations. To this day, through processes of colonialism, racism and genocide, Settlers have secured 902, 000 acres of the Haldimand Tract for their own, leaving just 48, 000 acres for members of the Six Nations. When we talk about colonization, we are talking about how on this land, colonial violence continues today and is deeply intertwined with all inequities. For example, 2SLGBTQIA+ people have been and continue to be victimized, villainized and othered through colonial, heterosexual, patriarchal gender systems. In doing this work, we acknowledge the historical, present and future impacts of colonial violence and its' intersections with 2SLGBTQIA+ identities. We acknowledge the resilience of the Six Nations communities that have lived, loved and resisted here forever. We acknowledge the resilience of this land. We acknowledge our role in decolonizing the work that the Bridge does.