The Kops Freedom of the Press Lecture: Land-Grab Universities: Recent Past, Present and Future of Indigenous Dispossession

The United States used nearly 11 million acres of Indigenous territory taken from almost 250 tribes, bands and communities through more than 160 violence-backed land cessions to launch the land grant university system in 1862. In 2020, the groundbreaking "Land-grab universities" investigation identified and mapped these connections for the first time, detailing how expropriated land formed the foundation of land-grant colleges across America. Two years after the story sent shockwaves through the U.S. education system, questions remain about the debts universities owe to Indigenous communities, as well asthe limits of reparative justice when access to current information remains a major obstacle to further research and reporting on the roots of inequalities in academia.

Tristan Ahtone is a member of the Kiowa Tribe and is Editor at Large at Grist.

Robert Lee is Assistant Professor of History and Fellow of Selwyn College at the University of Cambridge

There will be a limited number of in-person tickets available for this event. To request a ticket, please fill out this form.

For virtual attendance, use the eCornell registration form here.