I acknowledge the land I live and work on as a living entity, not merely as a resource or property.
I honor and acknowledge the original Indigenous inhabitants and stewards of this land, including the Munsee Lenape, Canarsee, Rockaway, Wappinger, Reckgawanc, Unkechaug, Haudenosaunee, and more. I recognize that although music communities enrich New York City’s culture and are often underserved and exploited, they also benefit from and contribute to the legacy of dispossession, displacement, and erasure of people which began with the original theft of this land. I affirm my responsibility to support Indigenous people here and worldwide as a traveling musician.
I honor the musical ancestors that laid the foundation for NYC’s pluralistic music culture, including the descendants of enslaved Africans who migrated from the southern U.S. and the Caribbean, immigrants from every corner of the world, and LGBTQ+ communities and activists who forged new musical expressions and identities through life and resilience in the City.
I honor the elder culture bearers that are still with us, who often go unrecognized and uncompensated for their contributions to our collective musical heritage. I give thanks for the lessons of those who came before me, and I strive to give back by cultivating a supportive and healthy musical ecosystem.
