Thank you for joining Steppenwolf Theatre. Here at Steppenwolf, we believe that creating our work—and the opportunity to share it with you—is a privilege. The ability to gather in this space and engage with perspectives other than our own is a privilege that we consider sacred.
Because of this, it’s important to us that we acknowledge both the Indigenous land we occupy, as well as the hands that built the country and city we call home.
We acknowledge that Steppenwolf Theatre sits on Native land. This area is the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, including the Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Odawa. For over 200 years, Native Nations have been forcibly removed from this territory. We acknowledge that this land continues to be a site of gathering and healing for more than a dozen other Tribal Nations and remains home to over 100,000 tribal members in the state of Illinois.
We acknowledge that the United States was built at the often fatal expense of forcefully enslaved Black people. We acknowledge those who did not survive the Middle Passage and that some of our ensemble, staff, board and audience members might be direct descendants of those who were enslaved. We acknowledge those who still cannot safely walk down the street or sleep in their own homes and those who are still dying while fighting for their liberation. We acknowledge that Chicago remains one of the most segregated and inequitable cities in our country. Steppenwolf aims to cultivate space for Black stories to be uplifted and for Black lives to be celebrated. We pledge to infuse our work with true values of anti-racism.
We offer these acknowledgments and experiences into this space with respect and gratitude, along with the intention to spark more awareness, compassion and empathy for every life in our community.
TO LEARN MORE, VISIT:
American Indian Center
aicchicago.org
Native Land Digital
native-land.ca
Unpaid Labor Contribution
unpaidlabor.com
We See You White American Theater
weseeyouwat.com
We are very grateful to Fawn Pochel and the American Indian Center–Chicago for their guidance on Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s practice around Land Acknowledgments. Additionally, thank you to the Black Theatre Caucus and the authors of the “We See You W.A.T.” demands for providing the framework for this language.