Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude, but we should also remember the real story behind the first Thanksgiving. I found this very thought video on YouTube.
Happy Thanksgiving, but let’s make sure we keep it real on the historical items.
With another Thanksgiving upon us, it’s that time again to think about what we are thankful for in this life. I have many things in my life to grateful for, including having good health, the support and love of my family and friends, a career that make me happy and the freedoms and opportunities I have living in the United States.
However, there are a lot of things going on the world today that I am not thankful for, such as:
International terrorism: I absolutely hate everything ISIS, Boko Haram and other terrorists stand for and the violent actions they have taken on innocent people around the world. There will have to be a breaking point when the world really comes together to smash these violent thugs.
Domestic terrorism: In addition to worrying about a suicide bombing afar, America also has to deal with random mass shootings by mentally unstable people who shouldn’t have access to guns. Unarmed black men have to fear for their lives because the police automatically shoot first and ask questions later. Something is seriously wrong!
Politics: If the best this country can do is have Trump, Carson or Bush as possible presidents, we are doomed. While I support Hillary, she is still the lesser of the evils. In a more ideal world, I would vote for Bernie, but Wall Street would just smash him.
Divisiveness: It feels like this country has become more divisive on multiple levels. Thanks to people like Trump and Carson, it is now okay apparently to be openly racist, xenophobic, homophobic or Islamophobic. Whether we are talking about Black Lives Matter or immigration, why can’t people just agree to disagree on issues and still be civil. Try to remember this when having Thanksgiving dinner with your argumentative relatives.
Mean-spirited people: This is related to divisiveness, but really people who are always looking for a reason to put other people down. Pay no mind to people like that because they usually have their own insecurities and karma has a way of finding them.
MBTA: You have heard me complain about my city’s horrible public transit system many, many times. If the MBTA handles snow emergencies this year the same way they did last year, I swear I will be out in the streets with other disgruntled Bostonians with our pitchforks protesting at City Hall and the State House.
Holiday Shopping Craze: The holiday shopping season traditionally starts the day after Thanksgiving, but it is starting earlier every year. Some stores will even be open on Thanksgiving Day! I still don’t understand how one gets into the holiday spirit by standing in a line overnight just to get into a shoving match with another hapless customers over a $10 toaster.
Tech Overload: As much as I love technology, I don’t live my whole life online. This holiday season, unplug yourself from your mobiles and computers and make real connections with actual people in person!
Maybe everybody should just be play Adele all Thanksgiving.
For most Americans, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends over a plate of turkey and a football game. However, for Native Americans, this holiday brings up some bad memories that have become a scar on American history.
I recently attended a lecture by Native American writer Larry “Spotted Crow” Mann who discussed his latest book, The Mourning Road To Thanksgiving. Mann, a member of the Nipmuc tribe of Massachusetts, is an activist and contributor to Indian Country News. He also works with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on sobriety issues among Native Americans.
In his lecture, he talked about how the real first Thanksgiving went down, contrary to common belief, and the lingering effects on Native Americans today.
“My existence is because of colonial resistance,” he said.
Mann states that the first Thanksgiving was really an English harvest festival. Native Americans were not invited to this feast; they actually just showed up to see what was going on. They stayed, but didn’t sit around a table; they sat on the ground. Mann says that the meal was a “segregated event,” as the English didn’t want any interaction with Native Americans. The English were careful to keep their women and children away from Native Americans because of their so-called “voodoo and heathen” activities.
“The English came here for freedom of religion, but weren’t interested in extending that belief to Native Americans,” Mann said.
Native Americans lost all their freedom eventually, as they were actually the first slaves. Nonetheless, as many of them couldn’t handle the stress of enslavement, Native Americans began to die in large numbers from suicide and smallpox.
Alcohol was also introduced to Native Americans by the English in exchange for their land, which has had a devastating effect on this group ever since. There is an ongoing argument about whether or not Native Americans are predisposed to alcoholism; however, statistics show they are disproportionately affected by it today.
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 12 percent of Native Americans are heavy drinkers, which is higher than any other ethnic group. Alcoholism attributes to 65 percent of car accidents on reservations and 48 percent of vehicular deaths among Native Americans. Alcohol also plays a role in the higher rate of suicides, murders and other forms of violence among the population. Native American women are twice as likely to experience domestic abuse and rape than other ethnic groups in the United States. Alcohol also causes higher rates of liver disease and cirrhosis, which is one of the leading causes of death for the population.
Mann had a hard childhood and grew up in a non-Native school. He was an alcoholic in his twenties, but stopped drinking cold turkey when he learned about how the disease has devastated his tribe.
Mann has many thoughts about how he feels about the English now, but I don’t want to spoil it, so you have to read his book! But he did say that time can be healing and we should use this time of thanksgiving to educate future generations to not repeat the mistakes of past generations.
“If you don’t know your past, how do we heal the future,” Mann said.
By Talia Whyte
The Grio
After stuffing ourselves during Thanksgiving dinner, some of us got up early (and in some cases, really early) to partake in another great American ritual – spending like crazy on Black Friday. Some retailers like Wal-Mart and K-Mart got ahead of the game and had their doors open on Turkey Day.
I will never understand the point of lining up in front of a store in the wee hours of the morning just to get $5 off a sweater I didn’t really need in the first place. Even if I wanted to be part of the Black Friday madness, I would be doing it at the risk of my life – literally.
Read the full article here