WHEREAS, the ReConnect/ReCollect: Reparative Connections to Philippine Collections at the University of Michigan (R/R) project—co-led by Dr. Ricardo L. Punzalan and Dr. Deirdre de la Cruz—convened a diverse group of faculty, librarians, archivists, curators, collections managers, students, and members of the Filipino and Filipino American community in 2021; and
WHEREAS, the R/R project has worked in close collaborative partnership with the faculty and staff of the University of Michigan—namely, Dr. Kerstin Barndt (Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures and Museum Studies Program), Dr. Alexis Antracoli and Nancy Bartlett (Bentley Historical Library), Matha O’Hara Conway (University Library Special Collections Research Center), James Moss (UM Museum of Anthropological Archaeology)—to propose decolonial and reparative approaches to representing the University’s Philippine collections, much of which was acquired during the U.S. colonial period; and
WHEREAS, the R/R project has actively engaged and mentored graduate and undergraduate students—namely, Madeline Bacolor, Isabella Buzynski, Alyssa Caldito, Chad Kamen, Robert Diaz, Paulina Fraser, Ella Li, Emily Na, Sony Prosper, Sara Reed, Kristi Rhead, Nick Trudeau, and Sophie Wolf—in all critical aspects of decolonial and reparative work; and
WHEREAS, the R/R project has demonstrated notable commitment to developing and testing culturally-responsive and historically-minded stewardship of the Philippine collections at the University of Michigan (and beyond); and
WHEREAS, the R/R project has framed its work using reciprocal principles of reparative scholarship, reparative curation, and reparative connections to communities, for Philippine archival and museum collections that other North American institutions can emulate; and
WHEREAS, the R/R project has published an online toolkit that serves as a dynamic hub of adaptable and practical resources, including Points of Origin, a documentary film by Orlando de Guzman, that document and share the R/R process before wider audiences; and
WHEREAS, the R/R project has conducted a series of consultations with Filipin/x communities, artists, and Indigenous cultural bearers, distributed copies of archival materials to Indigenous source communities, Universities, and cultural heritage institutions in the Philippines;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the ReConnect/ReCollect: Reparative Connections to Philippine Collections at the University of Michigan and its collaborators be honored with a 2025 SAA Council Exemplary Service Award for their outstanding work.