Anti-Colonialism Collective (ACC)

“Today, around four million people live in [...] unincorporated territories - people who have no representation in Congress, who cannot vote for president, and whose rights and citizenship remain a gift from Washington”

Daniel Immerwahr
‍How to Hide an Empire (2019)

About Us

The colonial history of the United States plays a role in the health of our people. However, the academic content focusing on this structural determinant of health is lacking within schools of public health. Enter the Anti-Colonialism Collective – a group developed to discuss colonialism as it relates to the health of the public. Established in 2019, our goal is to foster a collaborative exchange between early career scholars, community members and practitioners surrounding the role colonialism plays in structuring the health of individuals, communities, and populations. We accomplish this through several programmatic activities.

1. ACC (Virtual) Book Club - Our monthly book club allows us to develop our collective knowledge base. Hosted by the Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice and Health, our book club meets every last Tuesday of the month to discuss a text related to our theme of Anti-Colonialism. For more information or to join, please visit our page. 
2. ACC Counter-Curriculum - Our two-part counter-curriculum series introduces participants to alternative social science theoretical perspectives (e.g., colonialism as a social determinant of health) and methodologies (e.g., decolonizing methodologies, indigenous research agenda) not traditionally discussed in public health training environments. To learn more and/or join our next session, please reach out. 

Land Acknowledgement

The Anti-Colonialism Collective (ACC) at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). As a land grant institution, we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge that this statement is a work in progress. While acknowledging our positionality as settler-colonialists is a first step, it is not sufficient. We are consistently striving to move past performative gestures towards action.