Denver Land Acknowledgement

For thousands of years, cultures across the globe have shared the value of hospitality and being a welcoming host. As AACOM welcomes you to Educating Leaders 2022, we want to acknowledge that this gathering takes place on the ancestral lands of the Arapaho nation. More broadly, this region was occupied by many native groups, including the Cheyenne, Southern Ute and the Ute Mountain nations. We thank each of them for their stewardship of the land.

When gold was discovered in Colorado in the late 1800’s, many of the older treaties that outlined Native American tribes’ rights were ignored.  As a result, they were forced to give up their lands and suffered greatly. The Sand Creek Massacre, occurring one hundred and twenty-five miles southeast of here, resulted in the senseless deaths of hundreds of Arapaho and Cheyenne people. Ultimately these nations would be relocated out of Colorado. Today, Native Americans make up less than one percent of Colorado’s population, but the traditions and culture are kept alive and continue to teach us all and add to the tapestry of Colorado.

AACOM recognizes this place has been and continues to be the home of indigenous peoples, and we wish to honor their historical, cultural and societal contributions past, present and future.

We pledge to work with our schools to pursue a stronger relationship with Native Americans across the country and ensure that students of any and every background have the opportunity to pursue a career in medicine.