As our nation marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, we have an opportunity not only to celebrate our history but also to acknowledge a fundamental moral truth: the land we call home was taken from Indigenous peoples.
Here in Plymouth, America’s Hometown, that truth is especially meaningful. We live on the ancestral homeland of the Wampanoag people. While none of us living today stole this land, we continue to benefit from property ownership that traces back to that dispossession. As our homes appreciate in value, we share in that legacy.
One meaningful response is to take the Native Land Reparation Pledge which originated and is administered here in Plymouth by The Peace Abbey Foundation. The pledge invites homeowners to voluntarily designate 1% of the future sale price of their home to the Indigenous nation on whose ancestral land it stands or to an Indigenous-led organization. The pledge is not legally binding and there are no administrative fees, so every dollar pledged goes directly to the Indigenous tribe or Native organization designated by the homeowner at the time of closing.
My wife and I made the pledge and fulfilled it retroactively for our family home we previously sold in Sherborn. We believe it was the very least we could do. It is important to note that residential real estate in the United States is valued at more than $50 trillion. One percent of that value is roughly $500 billion. Even if only a small percentage of homeowners participate, the result could be billions of dollars directed to Indigenous communities across the country.
Nothing can undo the injustices of the past. But each of us who owns a home can choose to acknowledge the truth about the land beneath it and take a simple, voluntary step toward reconciliation.
For me, there is no more meaningful way to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary than by aligning this celebration with honesty, gratitude, and a commitment to justice. I hope Plymouth residents will consider taking the Native Land Reparation Pledge. History cannot be changed, but the legacy we leave can.
– Lewis M. Randa
Randa is executive director of the Peace Abbey Foundation