We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we know as the “State of Maine” and “United States of America.” We know they and their descendants suffered and continue to suffer in unimaginable ways at the hands of colonialism. We acknowledge that we live, work and still continue to benefit from stolen land and stolen history.

We acknowledge that original people of every colonized continent have (and had) rich traditions, languages, knowledge,  ancestral history, sophisticated societies, and unique cultural expressions. Much of that is lost forever because of the dark history of colonialism disguised as “exploring” and “discovery.”

We acknowledge the strategically organized, intentional, and multi-faceted acts of genocide perpetrated by the greed and violence of colonialism, of which these are just a few:

• Assimilation
• Annihilation
• Suppression
• Oppression
• Terrorizing
• Slavery
• Political and legal domination
• Political and economic dependency
• Resource exploitation

We acknowledge that on-going racism, violence, and multiple inequalities experienced by people of color in our society are the result of the long, relentless, violent history of colonialism in our established practices of governance and socio-economic rule.

We acknowledge these practices are systemic, by design, and affect every single facet of life in our state and country. We further recognize these practices have a significantly unfair impact on people of color. We also acknowledge many communities not fitting a colonized image of what is proper are also marginalized.

We acknowledge white frailty, white privilege, and the benefits white people continue to experience simply because of the color of our skin.  We are determined to do our part to actively engage in on-going efforts to create necessary and lasting change, and finally,

We acknowledge that end-of-life circumstances, when humans are at their most vulnerable, tend to amplify and exacerbate the effects of colonialism on already-marginalized people.

Board of Directors, Maine Death with Dignity