Land Acknowledgement

The USC Libraries acknowledge our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Tongva and Kizh Nation - Gabrieleño people and their neighbors: (from North to South) the Chumash, Tataviam, Kitanemuk, Serrano, Cahuilla, Payomkawichum, Acjachemen, Ipai-Tipai, Kumeyaay, and Quechan peoples, whose ancestors ruled the region we now call Southern California for at least 9,000 years. Indigenous stewardship and rightful claims to these lands have never been voluntarily relinquished nor legally extinguished.  We pay respects to the members and elders of these communities, past and present, who remain stewards, caretakers, and advocates of these lands, river systems, and the waters and islands of the Santa Barbara Channel. The Libraries at the University Park and Health Sciences Campuses of USC occupy unceded territory belonging to the villages of Yaangna (Downtown Los Angeles and East LA); Geveronga (Pico-Union); Sa’aangna (Baldwin Hills); Huutnga (Compton); and Ochuungna (South Pasadena).

The USC Libraries in partnership with the Van Hunnick History Department of USC undertake an obligation to present truthful facts about USC’s specific occupation of Tongva lands. 

Read an expanded history of Southern California’s Indigenous peoples from the Van Hunnick History Department of USC

Read about the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples on their website.

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View our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism.

View our Statement on Anti-Racist Description.

View our research guides on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Anti-Racist Pedagogy, and LGBTQIA+ Health and Cultural Competency.