Diversity & Land acknowledgements

Land acknowledgment & commitments

We acknowledge that the Academy of Modern Nature is located in unceded Coast Miwok territory, now known as Marin County, California. We are grateful for the ancient redwoods, healing yerba buena, waterfalls and rivers that feed the Pacific Ocean, serpentine rocks, coyotes, black bears, northern spotted owls, red-tailed hawks and all other beings with whom we share these lands.

We honor the thousand of years of stewardship of these lands by the Coast Miwok peoples. We support their present revitalization of culture—their languages, ancestral practices, and land restoration. 

Academy of Modern Nature donates 1% of our profits to the Coast Miwok of Southern Marin Project for reparations of the past and continuing colonization and genocide of indigenous peoples. We support their current efforts, which is “to aid in the preservation of the Native culture in Marin County and to assist in being a voice for present day Coast Miwok.”

We encourage you to learn more about the Coast Miwok of Southern Marin Project and make a donation to support their efforts. If you are not living in Marin County, you can learn more about and uplift the indigenous peoples from the lands you live on here.

Our Justice, Equity, Decolonization, Inclusion (JEDI) Statement

We recognize that the United States and much of the world operates under a colonial system that’s built upon values of supremacy and privileges white people over others. This manifests as racism, classism, cis-heteropatriarchy, and speciesism throughout our culture and political institutions. We work in solidarity with Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, exploited animals and environments, and other marginalized communities to address the past and ongoing devastating impacts of injustice and oppression throughout the world. Healing work such as this requires us to deepen our understanding and take concrete action to dismantle racism and oppression that persist throughout our lives.

We’re committed to values rooted in a sacred connection to the Earth and all of its beings, and believe that upholding such an interconnected, compassionate worldview leads to co-liberation for all. To do this, we create and protect spaces for all expressions of cultural and gender identity (including transgender, gender fluid, non-binary, and agender). 

Solidarity is an action. We ask you to join us in our commitment to transforming injustice in our work, our homes, our lifestyles, and our communities. We are growing the Academy from the ground up to be an inclusive, diverse, and anti-colonial organization. We know that this is an ongoing process of continued listening, learning, creating connections, naming our individual positionality and intersectionality, and taking courageous actions for justice.

Actions we’re taking

  • Highlighting the voices of Black, Indigenous and People of Color in our programming content, including anti-racist, Landback and other materials that speak to racial injustice, cultural appropriation, and decolonization.

  • Donating 1% of our profits to the Coast Miwok of Southern Marin Project for reparations of the past and continuing colonization and genocide of indigenous peoples, and for their revitalization today.

    Honoring the original stewards of the land by offering land acknowledgements at all of our gatherings, and including a statement on our website with encouragement to learn more about and donate to indigenous peoples.

    Encouraging our members to learn about and support the indigenous peoples of the lands they’re living with.

  • Naming and welcoming honest discussion about the current social, political, spiritual, and environmental issues of our times throughout our online and on land experiences.

    Actively addressing speciesism and promoting empathy for other-than-human lives through content and charitable giving.

  • Offering free and low-cost access to online education and events.

    Offering a sliding scale for coaching services and retreats.

  • Create Equity Scholarship programs for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women, and other marginalized communities to advance individual and societal knowledge in the fields related to nature-based wellbeing.

    Develop a researcher-in-residence and artist-in-residence program that spotlights BIPOC, LGBTQ+, exploited animals and environments, and other marginalized communities.

    Create an advisory council with multiple voices represented.

    Continue to center BIPOC, LGBTQ+, other-than-human species, and other marginalized voices in our programming content.

    Network with local businesses to create community and collaboration.