The Friends Meeting of Austin, with respect, reverence, and appreciation acknowledges that our community exists on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Tonkawa and Lipan Apache people, along with many people from other Indigenous nations that call and have called Central Texas home.
Additionally, we acknowledge with regret the role that the larger Quaker community played in the forced assimilation of American Indigenous Peoples through Indian Boarding Schools. After the enactment of the Indian Civilization Act of 1819, Quakers ran more than 30 Indian Boarding Schools in a system that carried out cultural genocide.
We also acknowledge that this statement is only the first step in healing wounds and building a shared vision of the future focused on community and stewardship. We commit to learning, listening, and finding ways to be a positive partner in efforts to heal and regrow the land and strengthen communities.