'Land-Grab Universities' Thrived On Indigenous Land - Now Some Are Making Amends

An interview on WBUR’s “Here and Now”

This segment aired on May 14, 2021.

Land-grant universities broadened access to higher education in the United States — but only at the expense of Indigenous Americans. Nearly 11 million acres of land were taken from tribes and Native communities to fund the universities, according to an investigation by High Country News. That investigation, published a year ago, has since won awards and sparked calls for change.

“Here & Now”’s Peter O'Dowd speaks with Tristan Ahtone, who co-reported the story in “High Country News” last year. An ongoing investigation and examination. UVM, Vermont’s Land Grant institution, is in the beginning of grappling with these realities.

Listen to the interview here (8:49).