The Land is Not Empty: Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery

2608 Blaisdell Avenue,Minneapolis MN 55408

16 November, 2022

Description

Event schedule:7:00pm - 8:00pm Presentation by Sarah Augustine8:00pm - 8:30pm Q&A and book signingJoin us for an evening with Sarah Augustine, Executive Director of the national Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition and author of The Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery.The Doctrine of Discovery is enshrined in both church and state. It is a legal doctrine that is practiced in international law and policy as well as the domestic legal systems of countries around the globe. The Doctrine of Discovery is also a Christian doctrine dating to the 15th century. It is still practiced by Christian traditions around the globe, systematically dispossessing Indigenous Peoples of their ancestral lands and human rights. It is now the church’s responsibility to undo the Doctrine of Discovery. Augustine will guide us on a journey away from this colonial worldview and toward an Indigenous view of interdependency and a return to a planet that sustains all life.Going beyond identifying the problems of racism, colonialism, hate and discrimination, Augustine will focus on strategies to take a decolonized approach to anti-racism.Augustine’s work challenges those inside and outside the church to take responsibility for the multi-generational harm that has been caused to Indigenous people and take action for love of neighbor, seeking right relationship and reconciliation through active nonviolent structural transformation.The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery calls on the Christian Church to address the extinction, enslavement, and extraction done in the name of Christ on Indigenous lands. The Coalition emerged from the Anabaptist faith tradition, and the Coalition invites anyone to join them who seeks to support Indigenous self-determination and efforts to protect Land and Water from ongoing colonization.Sarah Augustine, who is a Pueblo (Tewa) descendant, is co-founder and Executive Director of the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition. She is also the co-founder of Suriname Indigenous Health Fund (SIHF), where she has worked in relationship with vulnerable and Indigenous Peoples since 2005. She has represented the interests of Indigenous community partners to their own governments, the Inter-American development bank, the United Nations, the Organization of American States Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the World Health Organization, and a host of other international actors including corporate interests. In 2011 she co-wrote the World Council of Churches Statement on the Doctrine of Discovery and its Enduring Impacts on Indigenous Peoples, and shared in the creation of the ecumenical Indigenous Peoples network. She is a columnist for Anabaptist World, and co-hosts the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery podcast with Sheri Hostetler. She has written for Sojourners, The Mennonite, Anabaptist Witness, Response Magazine, and other publications, as well as a variety of academic journals. She has taught at Heritage University, Central Washington University, and Goshen College. In Washington State, where she lives, she serves in a leadership role on multiple boards and commissions to enable vulnerable peoples to speak for themselves in advocating for structural justice. She and her husband, Dan Peplow, and their son live in the Yakima Valley of Washington. She is author of the book The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery (Herald Press 2021).This event is being joyfully sponsored by Calvary Baptist Church, Faith Mennonite Church, Showing Up for Racial Justice Faith, and Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute. Parking at Calvary Baptist Church in Minneapolis is primarily limited to on the street parking. Since we are expecting a large audience, please consider taking public transportation, carpooling, biking, and walking to the in-person event. Hopefully we'll not yet be able snowshoe or ski to this event! :)