Wilshire’s In Deed and Truth team has created a land acknowledgment for the church. This formal statement, which recognizes the traditional stewards of the land, is a gesture of respect and reflection that provides opportunity to actively engage in the process of reconciliation. By speaking these truths, we begin to address the legacy of colonialism and endeavor to foster a sense of collective responsibility and awareness. The land acknowledgment reads:
Wilshire Baptist Church acknowledges that we sit on territory originally occupied by multiple Indigenous people groups, most notably the Jumano, Wichita, Kickapoo and Tawakoni peoples. We recognize these tribes as the original stewards of this land.
We acknowledge this land also bears the blood, sweat and tears of enslaved people.
We acknowledge that the peoples of Latin and Hispanic descent who have lived and worked here before and still with us now are the descendants of the Aztecs and Toltecs and other Indigenous peoples.
This land has held many sacred voices prior to the presence of Wilshire Baptist Church. While we worship, pray and serve, may this acknowledgment be but a small gesture of our church’s larger commitment to showing respect to all people through awareness and action.
Acknowledgments, when done thoughtfully, are not merely symbolic; they remind us of our history and encourage our work toward justice, equity and healing. While land acknowledgments are important, they must be accompanied by concrete actions. Words alone, however well intended, cannot address centuries of injustice or repair the harm caused by colonization. Individuals and institutions are called to learn about the specific histories and cultures of the peoples whose lands they occupy, to support initiatives, and to advocate for policies that uphold others’ rights.
Wilshire’s land acknowledgment has been published on our website at wilshirebc.org/about. As a reminder, a condensed statement will appear weekly in the worship folder on page 2.
■ In Deed and Truth is a project of the St. Charles Center for Faith + Action and E Pluribus Unum that works with predominantly white congregations in the work of racial reconciliation. Our team includes Abbey Adcox, Juliana Moore, Louis Moore, Shelby Patterson and Margaret Rice.