Every community owes its existence and vitality to generations of people who contributed their hopes, dreams, and energy to making the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will, some were drawn to leave their distant homes in hope of a better life, and some have lived on this land for more generations than can be counted. Truth and acknowledgment are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference. (credit USDAC)

Our work at Watson Creative, and our work here today, centers a commitment to equity and inclusive representation in children’s learning and storytelling. To us, this commitment means centering, celebrating, and being accountable to the past, present, and futures of Indigenous youth. It means facing the impacts of colonization upon ourselves, our colleagues, and our communities, and allowing this truth to deepen our work and our connections to each other. We do this together.

We are guided by the belief that stories are powerful, and in childhood offer us our first visions of the world. And we are grateful to and learn from the enduring oral storytelling traditions of Indigenous peoples, who honor storytelling as a way of passing knowledge and cultural practices from generation to generation.