Located at the intersection of several great waterways and fertile soil, Chicago was once a trading post and healing site for the First Nations Indigenous tribes. Shikaakwa (Chicago) is the traditional homeland of the Council of Three Fires: Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. It was a meeting place for other tribal nations, including the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Sauk and Fox, Kickapoo, Peoria, and the Sioux. Today, over 170 tribes are represented in Cook County, and Chicago is home to the third largest Urban Native population in the United States.
At the Chicago Poetry Center, we recognize that the United States was developed through the labor of enslaved Black people as well as Asian immigrants. We acknowledge that this country has widely ignored and erased the rich contributions and influence of Indigenous people, Black people, and other people of color. As an organization, we commit to platforming and honoring Native and Indigenous voices, Black voices, and the voices of people of color. When we cannot meet this commitment, we will audit our operations and programming as we continuously endeavor towards equity, access, and inclusion in all of our practices.