Monday's Opening Thought: November 22, 2021
This week's opening thought: I'm not going to scold you or go out of my way to make you uncomfortable about celebrating the U.S. national holiday coming up this Thursday. What's the point?
At this point, most U.S. Americans know the actual origins of the gentrified and white-washed history of white people with no survival skills harming and killing the rightful and original stewards of the unceded land that makes up what we call North America. We all know that this upcoming national holiday's "roots" were taught to us in a series of lies in our formative years. We all made headdresses and hand turkeys in kindergarten. We all participated in some horrific school pageant or holiday program where we sang racist stereotype-driven songs about Native Americans in elementary school. As adults, most of us recognize the number of fallacies we were told about the "relationship" between the pilgrims and Native Americans. With all of that in mind, many of us still celebrate this national holiday for whatever personal reason we make ourselves OK with. Some folx view it as a gathering of friends and family, a moment of gratitude, a big shopping day, maybe even an opportunity to eat decadent food and watch U.S. American football. If you decide to celebrate the holiday this Thursday, that is your choice. I am not going to judge you or begrudge you. I hope you go into the Thursday holiday with legitimate gratitude and respect for the Indigenous people murdered and harmed in shaping the "history" of said holiday, regardless of how you choose to celebrate. But I will ask you to do a few things for me during your holiday observations if you consider yourself an active anti-racist and anti-oppressive person:
Don't put marshmallows in the yams. That sh—is diabetes-inducing enough without marshmallows.
Quit gentrifying mac and cheese by putting random items in it that don't need to be there. Seriously. Mac and cheese does not need to be gentrified. Straight-up delicious mac and cheese is more than sufficient.
Take a moment during the holiday to understand that this holiday and its parades and white-centered celebrations are painful and traumatic for our Native and Indigenous friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. Take a moment during the holiday to sit with yourself and reflect on the historical context and pain of the holiday, especially in the face of the ongoing global pandemic—just an acknowledgment of how we got here to keep you grounded. If there are things you don't know about the history of this holiday, take a moment to learn something – and unlearn something else.
Call out your racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, transphobic, ableist family members. Or don't invite them to your house. Or don't go to their house. You're an adult. You don't have to do anything that causes you harm or be around harmful people; familial relations be damned. If you say you're an “ally,” that you’re about that life, be about that life. Stand for something. If not now, when? Because if you aren't willing to step up now and stand for something after the pain and trauma of the past 24 months for so many marginalized communities and communities of color, then you're likely never going to.
Well wishes to many of you and your families if you observe and celebrate the holiday as a time of gathering and gratitude that respects the owners of this land. May you acknowledge and reflect on the sacrifices and pain that have brought this holiday into existence.
My eternal condolences, respect, and gratitude to the rightful stewards and owners of this land.
