The Antisocial Mind of the “Land Acknowledger”

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | June 30, 2025 | Jay Schalin

[karpov]

In recent decades, academia has created or implemented a truly jaw-dropping array of programs and ideas. And not in a good way. Whether “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) policies or Annual Sex Week, these new notions all seem aimed at chipping away at the foundations of a society based on common-sense, truth, fairness, and morality.

One such idea is the “land acknowledgment.” It is a statement that a particular event or organization is located on land that once belonged to specific indigenous tribes. Land acknowledgments first appeared in Australia in the late 1970s. They were adopted in Canada before coming to the United States. They appear to be spreading rapidly in academia and often appear on departmental websites or the personal sites of individual academics. They are also frequently announced at open public events, speeches, or meetings.

A cursory Internet search reveals that the University of North Carolina System—which is supposedly dismantling its DEI policies—is riddled with land acknowledgments, such as this one on a plaque outside of the UNC Charlotte student union:

With respect to the land and people who preceded us, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte acknowledges that we are on colonized land traditionally belonging to the Catawba, Cheraw, Sugeree, Wateree, and Waxhaw Peoples, all of whom have stewarded this land throughout the generations.

And at UNC Asheville:

The University of North Carolina Asheville acknowledges, with respect, that the land we are on today is ancestral land of the Anikituwagi, more commonly known as the Cherokee. We recognize the Cherokee as the native people and original stewards of this land.

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[spintreebob]

Crips kill Blood and take their territory. Dagos kill Kikes and take their territory. People flee violent neighborhoods for safe neighborhoods and then city for suburbs. Slaves ride the underground railway north. Cain kills Abel.

Human history is a long line of the same. Is Native American history any different than European or African or any other history?

[sphinx]

Nope.