American Indian & Indigenous Community Center
Land Acknowledgement & Labor Recognition
Virginia Tech acknowledges that we live and work on the Tutelo/Monacan People’s homeland and we recognize their continued relationships with their lands and waterways. We further acknowledge that legislation and practices like the Morrill Act (1862) enabled the commonwealth of Virginia to finance and found Virginia Tech through the forced removal of Native Nations from their lands, both locally and in western territories.
We understand that honoring Native Peoples without explicit material commitments falls short of our institutional responsibilities. Through sustained, transparent, and meaningful engagement with the Tutelo/Monacan Peoples, and other Native Nations, we commit to changing the trajectory of Virginia Tech's history by increasing Indigenous student, staff, and faculty recruitment and retention, diversifying course offerings, and meeting the growing needs of all Virginia tribes and supporting their sovereignty.
We must also recognize that enslaved Black people generated revenue and resources used to establish Virginia Tech and were prohibited from attending until 1953. Through InclusiveVT, the institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (that I may serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence, we commit to advancing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.
Overview
The American Indian and Indigenous Community Center (AIICC) serves as a community gathering area and study space. You'll find the AIICC in room 122 of the Squires Student Center, just to the left of the Welcome Center on the first floor.
The center comfortably holds 50 people and offers a communal area, study spaces, and TV/projection capabilities. The space hosts an expanding library of over 200 books, CDs, and DVDs, many of which were donated by faculty, staff, and Indigenous communities. The space also includes a variety of Indigenous art, historic artifacts, and ceremonial pieces representing the cultures and traditions of several Indigenous communities. One display honors the 11 tribal communities native to the Commonwealth of Virginia. If you would like to learn more about the pieces displayed in the center or are interested in donating, please visit the library page. Library donations are accepted throughout the year and can be temporary or permanent.
