Our History

The creation of the Rose Villa land acknowledgement was a collaborative effort.  When former Rose Villa CEO Vassar Byrd realized that two groups on campus were working independently on land acknowledgment statements, she decided to form one working committee. Three members of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee and three of the Green Team joined to research and draft the statement. It was completed in August 2023, after input and review were sought from Greg Archuleta, teacher of culture and history of the tribes of Western Oregon and member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (CTGR).

After the Rose Villa Board approved the statement, a steering group composed of three residents who participated in the writing committed themselves to working on the next steps. These three residents (Stephanie Feeney, Felicia Kongable, and Diana Stallard) formed a Land Acknowledgment Circle (LAC) steering committee and developed a 5-year activity plan. The goals are to help residents learn more about Native American history, culture & politics; offer speakers, trips, films, “Indigibits” (short, informative posts about important Native American topics) and book discussions; and establish relationships with our Native American neighbors.  

Many people have helped with our efforts. We thank Corinna Campbell-Sack for her beautiful basket weave logo design and the RVillagers development team for their website design.