Brown has developed an official land acknowledgment as part of a set of commitments to build a better understanding of the relationship between the University, the Indigenous peoples of this region, and the land on which Brown is situated.

These commitments include a formal land acknowledgment statement to recognize, honor and create a meaningful acknowledgment of the Narragansett Indian Tribe and their connection to the land on College Hill, as well as a commitment to strengthen investment in scholarship and education. Land acknowledgment often is considered as a first step in a process of truth-telling and a commitment to building understanding of, and accountability to, a history of dispossession.

"Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island, on lands that are within the ancestral homelands of the Narragansett Indian Tribe. We acknowledge that beginning with colonization and continuing for centuries the Narragansett Indian Tribe have been dispossessed of most of their ancestral lands in Rhode Island by the actions of individuals and institutions. We acknowledge our responsibility to understand and respond to those actions. The Narragansett Indian Tribe, whose ancestors stewarded these lands with great care, continues as a sovereign nation today. We commit to working together to honor our past and build our future with truth." 

For more information about this acknowledgment, its development, and the action it is meant to inspire, please visit landacknowledgment.brown.edu.