Why does Boston Children’s Museum have a land acknowledgement and how was it written?
Land acknowledgements are one way that organizations can recognize the many harms and continued impacts of the forcible removal of Indigenous people from the land on which they reside. While a land acknowledgement can be a public facing, documented way to acknowledge the deep harms of colonization, Boston Children’s Museum recognizes that taking action against these harms is the most important way to confront oppression. You can learn more about the actions we are taking here.
Boston Children’s Museum would like to thank the Tomaquag Museum for hosting a group of Boston Children’s Museum staff to attend a land acknowledgement drafting workshop in December of 2023. The history and models presented there helped Boston Children’s Museum staff understand the larger context in which land acknowledgements and our Museum sit.
We would also like to thank the Massachusett Tribe for generously reviewing an initial draft of our land acknowledgement and sharing invaluable feedback, which Boston Children’s Museum staff were able to incorporate into the version currently posted on our website.
Museum staff who attended the workshop and supported the drafting of this land acknowledgement were from a variety of departments in the Museum, and include:
Amanda Busby, Senior Director of Human Resources
Vaughan Bradley-Willemann, Senior Director of Arts & Social Impact
Carole Charnow, President and CEO
Akemi Chayama, Japan Program Manager
Justine DeCotis, Director of Visitor Experience
Regina Gallardo, Family Engagement Coordinator
Melissa Higgins, Vice President of Programs & Exhibits
Mieko Kamii, Trustee
Robin Meisner, Senior Director of Exhibits and Research
Charlayne Murrell-Smith, Vice President of External Relations
Lok-Wah Li, Research and Evaluation Manager
Sean Plaistowe, Director of Collections
Zoe Rivera, Executive Assistant
Malene Welch, Director of Community Engagement