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Esi Aya Initiatives acknowledges the Land we are on is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. I also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.

The Dish With One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and protect the Land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect.

Esi Aya Initiatives acknowledges the many people of African descent who are not settlers but whose ancestors were forcibly displaced as part of the transatlantic slave trade, brought against their will, and made to work on these lands.

We recognize that Indigenous sovereignty is linked to our collective liberation, and it is essential that we continue to reflect on ways that we can mobilize and take action in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and communities. 

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I am thankful for the ability to live, work, and gather on this Land, and I acknowledge my responsibility to be a steward of it.