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It’s Thanksgiving!!! Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays… It was the time that my mom and I traveled to Portland, Oregon where all of my family converged on my Great-Grandmother’s home in NE Portland for a cornucopia of soul food goodness. Turkey, ham, corn bread dressing–not stuffing :), baked mac and cheese, cabbage, greens, mashed potatoes and homemade brown gravy, and green been casserole. And of course, no Thanksgiving meal would be complete without sweet potato pie and banana pudding. But my favorite memory is my Aunt Donni’s deviled eggs… we’d scheme, hustle, sneak, and create alliances to get as many of those delicate gems as possible! One year, when I was about 11, my Aunt trusted me to carry a tray of “the precious” from her car into the house. I was honored! I walked so carefully… and then promptly tripped and dropped the platter in the street. Deliciousness rolled everywhere. The whole family erupted with a collective “OHHHHHHHHHH” like a fighter who’d been hit with a punishing blow in Mortal Kombat 11. While it wasn’t funny at the time, to me or anyone else– because those eggs were a serious matter– it’s now one of my favorite memories.
However, when our family gathered for Thanksgiving, we discussed Thanksgiving as a time to be grateful for our blessings (however small they may seem), family, friends, our health, and the opportunity to come together… and sometimes there were at least 50 of us in Mama’s house. What we did not discuss was the origin of Thanksgiving, neither the “story” of Thanksgiving we learned in school (Indigenous people helping “Pilgrims” who initially referred to themselves as “Separatists” survive their first winter and then feasting together, peacefully in celebration) or the eventual reality, the burning of a Pequot Village in 1637 or the killing of Wampanoag leader Massasoit’s son, and ultimately the theft of land we now occupy and genocide of Indigenous Peoples.
It was not until much later that I learned and recognized not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving. In fact, for some Indigenous Peoples, it is a National Day of Mourning. While this does not negate my childhood memories and the tradition of family gatherings on Thanksgiving Day, it does call for me to learn about the true story of Thanksgiving, recognize the history of brutality inflicted against Indigenous Peoples and the deep hurt this day may cause. It also calls me to demonstrate understanding, show respect, and give thanks for the Indigenous people who choose to share their truth while recognizing that it is my obligation to learn (as well as “unlearn”). I hope you will join on this journey.
~Stefani
