For centuries, the land now known as Philadelphia was home to and cared for by native peoples. These include the Lenni-Lenape People of Lenapehoking and the Poutaxat (Delaware Bay). We recognize these Tribes’ strength and history of resistance to colonization.

We commit to honoring their history, presence, and future. We support local Native people, including:

• The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation.
• The Ramapough Lenape Nation.
• The Powhatan Renape Nation.
• The Nanticoke of Millsboro Delaware.
• The Lenape of Cheswold Delaware, and more.

We know that our modern systems of growing food and owning property are built on:

• The stolen land of Indigenous people.
• The enslavement of African people.
• The genocide of both Native and Black communities and cultures.

These violent acts continue to impact Black and Indigenous communities today. We must understand and name these realities. We must acknowledge how they influence who has power over land and food in Philadelphia.

Black and Indigenous communities have:

• Deep knowledge and innovation in:
  • Agriculture.
  • Food sciences.
  • Land stewardship.
• Been ignored or erased in the documentation of this collective knowledge.

We commit to lifting up these practices in Philadelphia’s urban agriculture.