We would like to begin today by recognizing and acknowledging that Illinois includes ancestral lands of the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Piankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Chickasaw Nations.  

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​We have a responsibility to acknowledge these Native Nations and to work with them as we move forward as an inclusive union. This acknowledgment demonstrates a commitment to beginning the process of working to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism. But a land acknowledgement should be more than that; it should be a call to rethink one’s own relationship with the environment and the histories of all peoples.  

Today, Illinois continues to be a place that calls many people from diverse backgrounds to live and gather. Despite the many changes our cities and state have experienced, both our American Indian and our Illinois Federation of Teachers members see the importance of the land and this place that has always been home to many diverse backgrounds and perspectives.