Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving, I do.

I think it's a good time to do something we should be doing every single day of our lives--acknowledging the things we're grateful for.

What I don't like, is the way we are taught to think about the holiday. We're brought up to whole- heartedly believe that the pilgrims invited "the indians" to their dinner table and they all shared in this wonderful feast of turkey, potatoes, and stuffing together and in peace. (note-many of the foods we currently eat on thanksgiving-rice and sweet potatoes in particular-came to America from Africa during the 18th Century with enslaved people). 

With this view of history, we are allowed to ignore the truth. We celebrate and give thanks, but the holiday is actually a very sad reflection of a greater societal issue. Why do we learn about "the pilgrims" and "the indians" and never have to learn the name of the Wampanoag tribe? What exactly are we giving thanks for in the traditional sense?...is it the systematic extermination of indigenous peoples that characterized the colonial period and made land available to Europeans?

Why do we celebrate a false history of friendship and mutual respect? Because it's easier perhaps? Yes, it's far easier to teach white children that their ancestors came to America and made friends with the native people rather than explaining genocide, smallpox, and hostility. 

It may be easier that way. But that is no excuse for erasing the true history of America. We have to be careful about the way we celebrate this holiday. Instead of making it about the "shared feast between the pilgrims and the indians,"let's make it about recognizing the terrible injustice that defines our true past. Let's make it about sitting in our privilege and understanding our history from a non-white perspective while making a commitment that it will never ever repeat itself. 

Let's also not ignore the strength in cultural traditions; give thanks for the things in your life that make you happy.

I am thankful for my family, my roommates, my co-workers, my friends, good books and the sight to read them with, music and the ability to hear it, love, the support I receive from the people in my life, my job, the opportunity to attend a University, and so much more.