What our program participants are saying

“The Land is Not Our Own has allowed me the space to honor both my Christian faith and my indigeneity. I have gained a deeper understanding of how to communicate existing in both worlds by sharing with a faith-centered group that is open and empathetic. Our call as people of faith is to journey with the oppressed, and this [program] welcomed being witness to the beauty of indigenous culture and spirituality while also holding space to reckon with the horror experienced by indigenous peoples. We cannot build a better future and world without confronting the sin of genocide that continues to manifest in and through our current systems. This course fostered prayerful critique of history, as well as stoking creative solutions to how to repair the harms of colonization and assimilation, specifically as Christians, both individually and as a group. Together we felt the woundedness of genocide and violence, as well as the hope, creativity, and joyful resilience that indigenous people have carried, carry now, and will carry into future generations.”

One of the most important things I learned in this series is how much I didn’t know! I am far from alone: Our educational systems in the U.S. have white-washed our base of knowledge about our racial history. The readings, assignments and discussions in this series were constructive, even when difficult. We felt safe sharing our opinions, personal history and beliefs, and left empowered to take a stand against injustice. I cannot recommend this series more highly.

We have really different ideas about a lot of things, but I think the main thing that we agree on is that we believe in justice. We believe that as people of faith, we need to be active in our community to make sure that all people have a sense of hope and that all people have equal access and opportunities to a quality of life.