Land Acknowledgment
We begin with an acknowledgment of where we are. BetaNYC recognizes the land politically designated as New York City as the homeland of the Lenape people — Lenapehoking — who were violently displaced through European settler colonialism.
We respect and honor the histories of the Indigenous First Nations peoples who continue to inhabit and protect the land on which we live and work.
As noted in The Island at the Center of the World, the Lenape believed that if no one could own the air or the water, no one could own the land.
New York City is home to more than 115,000 inter-tribal Native American, First Nations, and Indigenous peoples — the largest such population of any city across Turtle Island. Some were born here, with family roots in New York and the surrounding Nations going back generations. Others came to New York to find what they couldn’t find anywhere else. Each contributes to the rich and diverse culture of New York City’s urban Native community today.
BetaNYC pays respect to all Native peoples — past, present, and future. We offer our care and gratitude to the Indigenous peoples of many Nations who continue to act as stewards of the land.
We encourage you to learn from and support the Native-led organizations who steward this work in New York City — among them the Lenape Center, the American Indian Community House, and the Redhawk Native American Arts Council. To see whose land you’re on, visit Native Land Digital.
Organizational History
In 2008, BetaNYC started as the “NYC Open Government” meetup by Hailey Austin Cooperrider.
In 2009, we relaunched as the “Open NY Forum” and were co-founded by Philip Ashlock, Hailey Austin Cooperrider, and Noel Hidalgo.
In 2013, after the NY Governor launched the State’s Open Government initiative, aka Open NY, the group was renamed to BetaNYC.
We have evolved to be a critical local leader and national partner in public interest technology / civic technology, open data, and open government.
Our work empowers individuals and local communities to build a civically engaged technology ecosystem and provide for an honest and inclusive government. We want New York’s governments to work for the people, by the people, for the 21st century.
BetaNYC demystifies design, technology, and data to the point where anyone can use it, create it, and participate in the decision-making process.