A C C E S S I B L E A L L Y S H I P
Happy Thanksgiving…I think?
Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday for many of us. It often includes gratitude, hearty food, and quality time with loved ones.
For indigenous people, it is a painful reminder of their family's genocide in America - a racial genocide based off their skin color, language, beliefs and the fact that they had something the white man wanted.
So what do we do? How do we incorporate being active allies with celebrating problematic traditions? How, if we are truly invested in creating a more just world, do we bring that into our homes and to our dinner tables?
I wish I had a better answer, and this week's newsletter has been postponed more than once as I searched for a solution that felt even remotely adequate. The truth is, I am at the beginning of this work. This is the first year I am being intentional about how I celebrate Thanksgiving and what discussions are had at my table. In previous years one of two things occurred:
I lacked knowledge and understanding of what Thanksgiving really meant for Native Americans because what I learned about Pilgrims and Indians in school was both whitewashed and inaccurate.
I fully opted-in to my privilege once I did know better because (a) as a white person unaffected by Native American genocide it is part of my white privilege to be able to opt-out of anti-racist work whenever I please and (b) It is a holiday I deeply love because of the memories, food, quality time, and gratitude associated with it in my own family and I did not want to "ruin" it.
How very white woman of me. I need to do better, I pledge to do better.
This year, instead of taking a holiday from our anti-racist work, let us lean into our understanding of this day, the historical experience of Native Americans in the U.S., and the current perspectives they have generously shared with us. As anti-racist activists it is our responsibility to increase our own understanding, raise awareness in our circles, and take action through influencing those closest to us.
Weekly Definition
Colonization
It is difficult to find hard numbers on just how many indigenous lives were lost in the European colonization of the Americas. The majority of history textbooks were written by white men, and as many of us would do in our own memoirs, their worst moments were largely omitted. They did not tally the rapes, murders, and deaths by disease. Their documentation of this time was often a gentle version, a story featuring them as the protagonists, fighting for themselves and land they believed they had a right to, with some 'accidental' disease spread sprinkled in. This is not an excuse, but it is how we got here. And the danger of one story.
Best estimates tell us:
10 million Native Americans living in land that is now the United States when European explorers first arrived in the 15th century
Less than 300,000 Estimated number of Native Americans living in the United States around 1900, after the colonization of the U.S.
The majority of deaths (90%) were by disease, from the time Columbus arrived in the late 1400's as white Europeans spread measles, influenza, whooping cough, diphtheria, typhus, bubonic plague, cholera and more throughout what is now known as the United States. There was of course rape and violence and intentional destruction during this time as well. Make no mistake - the conquering of the land and the people was always intentional.
In a 1779 letter from President George Washington to General John Sullivan, Washington wrote: “The immediate objectives are the total destruction and devastation of their settlements and the capture of as many prisoners of every age and sex as possible. It will be essential to ruin their crops in the ground and prevent their planting more.”
In 1830, President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act. This resulted in what is now known as the Trail of Tears, in which 4,000 Cherokee people died of cold, hunger, and disease on their way to the western lands. The Cherokees were not allowed time to gather their belongings, and as they left, whites looted their homes.
Jackson said the following about Native Americans, “They have neither the intelligence, the industry, the moral habits, nor the desire of improvement which are essential to any favorable change in their condition. Established in the midst of another and a superior race…they must necessarily yield to the force of circumstances and [before] long disappear.”
Side note: Donald Trump had a portrait of Andrew Jackson installed in the Oval Office and recently said of him, "He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart."
In 1924, Native Americans were finally granted U.S. Citizenship allowing them to travel as they pleased and in some states, they were allowed to vote. In many states, however, Native Americans were not allowed to vote until 1957.
The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 finally granted Native Americans the right to free speech, ability to hire an attorney in a criminal case, right to trial and due process, and more. Before this time Native Americans were heavily fined or imprisoned with no right to trial.
Since 1970, each year on Thanksgiving, Native Americans in Plymouth, Massachusetts have a National Day of Mourning. As described on their site, "Many Native Americans do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims and other European settlers. Thanksgiving day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience"
In 2016, news of the Dakota Access Pipeline swept the nation. Native Americans had been protesting this pipeline since 2014 as this 1,200 mile project destroys the primary drinking water source for the Standing Rock Sioux, a tribe of approximately 10,000. Despite protests which resulted in over 300 injuries and 450 arrests, the pipeline was installed.
The above information is meant to highlight some of the statistics we commonly overlook, some of the stories we allow to be whitewashed, and some of the history we choose to ignore. A more comprehensive look at Native American history and sources can be found here and here.
Native Americans are a resilient and resourceful people and have since repopulated to over five million Native Americans in the United States, 78% of whom live outside reservations. Today, the Native American Rights Fund still fights to protect tribal existence, tribal natural resources, Native American human rights, and more. Their fight for fair and equal treatment in the United States is far from over.
Weekly Challenge
Your Influence Is Greater Than You Think: Use It
Our greatest teachers in life are the people we surround ourselves with. So much of what we learn from childhood to adulthood is by example: how to walk, what language to speak, how to cook, what a relationship looks like, how to handle conflict, expressions, mannerisms, accents, what to talk about - what not to talk about. Much of what we learn is through osmosis or example, rather than explicitly told to us.
As we go into the holiday season and many of us increase time spent with loved ones, I want us to remember our influence. I do not suggest anyone go into Thanksgiving dinner looking to argue with or shame relatives at the table who are not well versed in anti-racism. I do suggest we each come to the table prepared to share something we have learned on this journey to allyship.
As one of my favorite leaders in anti-racist work, Rachel Cargle, shares,
Knowledge + Empathy + Action = Allyship
I challenge each of us to share just one story, perspective, or fact we have learned through this work at the dinner table this Thanksgiving. There are many resources on our collective resource page found here. I also love this perspective on celebrating Thanksgiving by Native American, Kim TallBear and this very informative, thoughtful piece in Time Magazine on the harmful lie of Thanksgiving and how to honor the day by Native American, Sean Sherman.
Additionally, I challenge you to study this tool "How to Talk to Your Family About Racism on Thanksgiving" and share it widely. Rachel offers tangible responses to prepare you for conversations that may happen at the dinner table.
BONUS CHALLENGE: Light a candle and have a moment of silence for the indigenous lives lost through colonization. I know this type of action might not be for everyone, but I believe it is important to honor and respect the lives and actual history of Native Americans on a holiday that systematically ignores these truths.
I do not believe we need to abandon our Thanksgiving traditions or come to love it less, but I do believe we do need to be intentional as we celebrate. We need to shift and adapt. Now that we know better, we need to do better. If you have ideas on how you plan to use your influence around the dinner table this Thanksgiving please share them with me here.
Weekly Media:
Watch and learn from 7 young, brave girls as they debunk common myths about Native American people and what they think about the Redskins.
Weekly Quote:
“In many historical texts, colonization is referred to as a settling, but it is nothing of the sort. Colonization is deeply unsettling. It disrupts the cultural identity and sense of belonging of those being colonized. It then attempts to separate them from their core values and beliefs, to break them to the will of the colonizer. Then it forcibly imposes its own values and ideologies onto those being colonized. When those subjected to colonization begin to assimilate to the ways of the oppressor they begin to oppress others, both within and outside of their group. This expands the influence of the oppressor and further erodes the will of the people to fight for their own freedom.” ― Sherri Mitchell Weh'na Ha'mu Kwasset
Weekly Reflection:
When you think about race, how often are you thinking about indigenous peoples? How much do you know about modern-day Native American oppression?