Table Talk: Decolonizing “Thanksgiving Day”
This year has undoubtedly been a time of great loss and tremendous economic strife for millions of families across our Commonwealth and far beyond. From all of us at PW Perspective, our hearts go out to those who continue to endure unbearable hardship in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While we take this time to reflect, we as an anti-racist publication feel it is appropriate to highlight the disproportionate toll this pandemic has taken on Native American & Alaska Native tribal populations who continue to face systemic injustice throughout our nation and to provide our readers with resources to further educate themselves, and their family members, before they dig into tonight’s virtual or in-person dinner:
1) Read-up on how the pandemic has disproportionately affected members of the BIPOC community: https://n.pr/37d4kok
2) Educate yourselves on the land you currently reside on: https://native-land.ca/
3) Learn more about local PWC & Virginia history pertaining to colonization: https://bit.ly/3mo1MKx
4) Demythologize today’s holiday by reading about the true history of “Thanksgiving”: https://bit.ly/3l7VIEb
5) Read works by Native authors compiled by the First Nations Development Institute: https://bit.ly/2JjkFPL
6) View “A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving for Educators and Families” compiled by the Center for Racial Justice in Education for further resources: https://bit.ly/2J3IH1P