Equity Begins with Acknowledgement

Beginning with the forced removal of Indigenous peoples and continuing through the implementation of anti-Black public policies and redevelopment practices, Atlanta is no stranger to the displacement of Indigenous people and the destruction of African American communities.

As we steward the land with the largest infrastructure project the City has ever seen, we recognize historical trauma and continued displacement, and the responsibility we have for ensuring equitable access to all the benefits the Beltline brings to communities.

The Beltline is built on the traditional homelands of the Muscogee Creek and Cherokee peoples. These Indigenous peoples were displaced through violence and governmental policies in the 1830s. Atlanta itself was built on top of thriving trade routes that connected Appalachia to the sea and was home to ceremonial grounds and vibrant communities.

For centuries, Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories have been purposefully left off maps as part of a sustained campaign to delegitimize their existence and land claims. Native Land Digital does the opposite, stripping out country and state borders to highlight the complex patchwork of historic and present-day Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages. Visitors can enter any address and discover whose traditional territory the location was built on.