The University of Rhode Island land acknowledgment is a statement written by members of the University community in close partnership with members of the Narragansett Tribe.
The statement recognizes and pays tribute to the people who lived on and stewarded the land on which the University now resides. The statement seeks to show gratitude and respect to Indigenous people and cultures and build community with the Narragansett Nation and other Native American tribes.
University of Rhode Island Land Acknowledgment
The University of Rhode Island occupies the traditional stomping ground of the Narragansett Nation and the Niantic People. We honor and respect the enduring and continuing relationship between the Indigenous people and this land by teaching and learning more about their history and present-day communities, and by becoming stewards of the land we, too, inhabit.
Usage Guidelines
How to use the statement
The University of Rhode Island land acknowledgment should be presented in its entirety when used in formal publications or at events hosted on University campuses. It should not be altered or amended. In email signatures or where space limitations do not allow for use of the full statement, it is permissible to use just the first sentence of the statement, but no other alterations should be made.
When to use the statement
The land acknowledgment may be read at any official University event, performance, or conference, as determined by the event coordinator, or at any non-University event hosted on any University of Rhode Island campus. The statement may be used in any official University publication or document.
Who may use the statement
The land acknowledgment should be read with intention and purpose, and in a manner that communicates its significance. The statement may be read by any person who treats it with sincerity and respect.
Questions regarding the land acknowledgement and its use should be directed to Sean Edmund Rogers, vice president for community, equity, and diversity, at rogers@uri.edu.
