There is comfort in old ways that brought cheer and joy. Yet, as we learn more about the truthful stories of our past, there is a need to revise old ways that may be oppressive, hurtful or hateful.
I was reminded of this today when an individual posted a picture of a traditional Thanksgiving feast at an elementary school. Many of us engaged in festivities like that--festivities that misrepresented the often oppressive and violent realities of American Indian/Native American-Settler relations over time. It is important that we all learn more about the reality of what happened to the First Americans as people immigrated to the continent from Europe.
So today, in an effort to make Thanksgiving a more respectful, harvest festival that represents what we are thankful for, I will make sure that our decorations reflect the harvest, not false narratives about history. I'll also look for ways that we can better work to accurately respect the humanity and history of all of America's people, particularly the first Americans.
As we learn more, we have to revise our narratives, celebrations, heroes and traditions, and as we do that, we have to keep what's right and good for humanity at the center. Onward.