Land Acknowledgement
Yestermorrow Design/Build School is located in the Mad River Valley of Vermont on unceded territory of Western Abenaki tribes. Abenaki is an Algonquin language and their name means “People of the Dawn Land.” They are First Nation people and have stewarded this land for thousands of years before white settlers arrived.
Abenaki people have preserved their culture and traditions despite a painful history of ethnic persecution and state-sponsored eugenics by colonial settlers in Vermont. Yestermorrow Design/Build School’s staff, board, and instructors acknowledge the history of attempted ethnocide, as well as the modern continuation of social structures and systems which disadvantage the Abenaki people.
We recognize that our organization was founded within these systems of oppression. We are committed to dismantling these systems within our organization and creating pathways for Abenaki students to thrive at Yestermorrow as students, instructors, staff, and board members. Please refer to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement for specific actions we are taking towards this commitment.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
Yestermorrow is a leader in design/build education in no small part thanks to the wide variety of thinkers and makers who have been an essential part of our community. And yet, by not addressing systemic barriers to attending our programs, we have missed out on the creativity and brilliance of folks who have been targeted by the systems of oppression. That is why Yestermorrow is committed to intentionally centering, honoring, and integrating the presence and knowledge of Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color (BIPOC), and individuals from other marginalized communities. We believe that our mission to “inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world” is not possible without the valuable perspectives, lived experiences, energy, and resilience that these communities carry.
We are committed to re-orienting this organization towards greater safety, equity, and opportunity for historically harmed, mistreated, and excluded groups including BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, people with disabilities, and women and gender nonconforming people. We also know that this commitment requires more than putting well-intentioned words on our website. It requires an internal reckoning, an examination of how structures of white supremacy, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and classism have influenced America in general and our organization in particular, and then actively working to dismantle and rebuild those structures.
We recognize that this will not happen immediately or even quickly. We know it will not be graceful or easy. We believe that by centering the knowledge, lived experiences, and brilliance of BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, and disabled leaders, educators, and students, we all benefit. We pledge to continue working on this for the entire ‘morrow’ of Yestermorrow.
Some steps we are taking as an organization are:
- Requiring Diversity, Equity & Inclusion training for our staff and board members
- Revising our course welcome/orientation to include sharing our pronouns, indigenous land acknowledgment, equity statement, and student feedback channels
- Sending out our DEI and ILA statements to all students before arriving on campus, as well as reading the statements during class orientations.
- Providing multiple means for students to give feedback on their experience at the school so that we can address inequities immediately
- Actively seeking BIPOC individuals to join our teaching team, board, staff, and student body
- Supporting and, where appropriate, seeking membership with minority-led organizations
- Growing the BIPOC scholarship fund to begin to address financial barriers
- Uplifting and amplifying BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, and female voices through our online programming, social media, and on our website.
This is a living document and our commitment will be regularly revisited and clarified. We welcome your feedback, insights, criticism, and suggestions. Please fill out this feedback form - anonymously, if desired.