Thanksgiving Redux

A note from one of our readers:

Thank you for the message on drug use and abuse in our neighborhoods. My nephew passed away two weeks ago from cocaine laced with fentanyl. He was a bright, educated, attractive, funny and caring person. A senseless loss that brings deep pain.

Hug your kids!

Elizabeth

Please note: We will be taking next week off from sending a newsletter. We will be back on December 1.

Dear Leading Ladies,

What will your Thanksgiving look like? Will you be getting together with family and friends for a festive meal that includes lots of orange-colored side dishes filled with sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves? Will you be accommodating gluten free, vegetarian, and lactose intolerant guests in your menu planning? Will your excitement at getting together again after last year’s Zoom holiday be diminished by some anxiety about potential political disagreements among family members?

Welcome to Thanksgiving 2021.

Many of us are also wrestling with how to handle the reality versus fiction of the historical roots of our American Thanksgiving. Can we still enjoy getting together with our loved ones, giving thanks for all we have, but also acknowledge the poppycock we were taught about the first Thanksgiving in 1621 and the shame of what the European settlers visited upon the indigenous people they found on American soil? And what about the remaining inequities that befall Native Americans, as well as migrant workers who pick the bounteous food that reaches our tables but don’t earn a living wage doing it?

What did the 1st Thanksgiving(s) really look like?

First off, let’s look at the facts.

The English, even before the Colonists, had their own version of Thanksgiving, says American Studies Professor Elizabeth Hoover of Brown University, who is part Mohawk. “Thanksgiving, by the English, was after massacres. So after events like the Pequot Massacre, where the English went in and burned people alive in their homes — and then everybody who ran out to try to avoid the flames was stabbed and shot. And so after the return of the English from that event, that was labeled as a Thanksgiving.”

As for the Pilgrims, Gene Demby at NPR says their Thanksgiving was a “tense business meeting between them and the Wampanoag people,” referring to an assessment by Hoover. “It bore almost no resemblance to the story that most of us know today — you know, Indians and pilgrims sitting down, chillin (ph), having a peaceful feast — that whole thing. It wasn't until 1863 that Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday as a way to unite the country after the Civil War.”

patheos.com

Can we celebrate honestly?

Andrea Riley-Mukavetz, a Ojibwe college professor who covers Thanksgiving and Native American history in her classes, does not believe we should scare children with the truth, yet we should still be honest. When it comes to Thanksgiving, she said on NPR, it is important to balance the true story of the attempted extinction of indigenous people by colonists with the encouraging facts that “Tribal Nations people are surviving and engaged in cultural continuance right now.” There is also much to be learned about “how to value the land. Tribal Nations people were celebrating Thanksgiving far before the settlers because it was harvest time.”

According to a 2012 article in Indian Country Today, "As much as some Natives might like for it to, Thanksgiving is not going away." Furthermore, and perhaps surprisingly, as quoted in npr.org, “In fact, many Natives fully enjoy the sentiments of Thanksgiving — it's the historical and cultural inaccuracies that are troublesome."

So, as we approach our own Thanksgiving tables, we suggest giving thanks for all we have; acknowledging those who do not have adequate housing, food, education, medical care, and jobs; recognizing that the bounty in our country is not distributed evenly and has been denied, often systematically and with malice aforethought, to certain groups such as Native Americans, Blacks, and some immigrant populations; and that we all have a responsibility to help repair our world.

There are precedents for celebrating times of joy while also recognizing times of pain. For example, in the Jewish tradition, at Passover, while commemorating the liberation from slavery in Eqypt, Jews remember all people who have been enslaved and pray for their freedom. Even Labor Day, which honors the efforts of those who have organized, marched, and gone on strike for better working conditions in the US, also pays tribute to those who suffered inhumane conditions while they worked to support their families.

What else?

For those with young children or grandchildren, the efforts to teach them honest history cannot end with one day a year. It requires curriculum changes in school as well as conscious work at home. There are many books by and about indigenous people that will increase children’s appreciation for the cultures, traditions, contributions, and travails of Native Americans. Colors of Us offers this impressive list. The federal government provides a vast list of all nationally recognized tribes.

As we gather our families, many of them multicolored, multicultural, and multi-religioned, Thanksgiving can also become a time to celebrate the foods and customs of all our members. The traditional foods that, by the way, bear little to no resemblance to what was served in 1621, can be replaced or added to with flavors, tastes, and smells from all over the world. This, in itself, shows our children and grandchildren that their forebears are as worthy of a seat at the American Thanksgiving table as anyone.

In a perfect world, we would all be gathering with like-minded friends and relatives. But, alas, that will not be so. In the last couple of years, we have all heard over and over, “If you see something, say something.” And it has also become, “If you hear something, say something.” That becomes more difficult, when Aunt Lulu blurts out some racist or homophobic comment at the dinner table just as the sweet potatoes are being passed. We hope we have the courage to say, “Aunt Lulu, I wish you wouldn’t say things like that about people. It hurts me.” But it’s tough.

So, with these thoughts in mind, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, one filled with good food, good conversation, good cheer. And a good dose of truth and hope.

Therese
Judy
Mary
Beth
Leading Ladies Executive Team
ladies@leadingladiesvote.org