I spent last weekend at a SOCM Anti-racism Transition Team training. With Thanksgiving approaching, our discussion eventually found its way to a question about what people of the First Nations do on this holiday considering the genocide that followed the arrival of Europeans in America.
What I learned is that Thanksgiving Day for me is a Day of Mourning for them. This is not the only new piece of U.S. history that I've chewed on the past two years, and none of the bites have been especially yummy for me as a person of privilege who nonetheless desires a just and sustainable life for all. No matter how bitter these truths, I can't just spit them out and go on with my old celebrations. I am obligated as a human being to do something, even if at first it is only to dig through the compost of the past and seek to understand why oppression and exploitation of people and nature persists in my country.
I give thanks this year to everyone who has helped me discover the possibilities for new food on a table of plenty set for all of humanity. Here are some links to articles and organizations that have fed my body, mind and spirit deliciously and bountifully this year:
No Thanks to Thanksgivingby Robert Jensen
10 Tips for a Sustainable Thanksgivingby Sarah Newman
