Why African and Native Americans Shouldn't Celebrate Thanksgiving
Start writing a post
popular

Why African and Native Americans Shouldn't Celebrate Thanksgiving

In the U.S., these holidays haunt minorities

11703
Why African and Native Americans Shouldn't Celebrate Thanksgiving
authorsbymoonlight.com

In early childhood education, we are taught that America is a melting pot where people of all different races can come together and be accepted for our differences. A melting pot can be defined as a country, locality, or situation in which cultural assimilation results in blending the heritage and traditions of previously distinct ethnic groups. The definition of cultural assimilation is a process by which members of an ethnic minority group lose cultural characteristics that distinguish them from the dominant cultural group or take on the cultural characteristics of another group.

In the case of minorities in America, we often lose our sense of self and culture and are compelled to follow the culture that America has established. There are certain holidays that America recognizes, such as Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick’s Day but both of these holidays are victims of cultural appropriation when Americans dress up as Mexicans and Leprechauns as an excuse to get drunk and have a good time.

African Americans celebrate the fourth of July for the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, but slaves were not freed until 89 years later. Many African Americans do not even acknowledge Juneteenth, but it is important to our history as Black Americans. Why celebrate a document that didn’t grant us any rights or privileges?

Thanksgiving in the African American community is a huge family gathering and important holiday. Should we recognize Thanksgiving as a holiday? School textbooks have long fantasized about Thanksgiving Day as the Pilgrims' and Indians' time to come together for a great feast. Actually, in the year 1637, Massachusetts Colony Governor, John Winthorp, declared “Thanksgiving” to celebrate the safe return of the colonist volunteers that left for war against the Pequot Indians. This war resulted in the massacre of 700 Pequot Indians. Instead of telling the real story of Thanksgiving, American history is kept covered in order for us to believe that the Pilgrims and colonists got along with the Indians and they lived in perfect harmony. The trail of tears and the Pequot War along with many other massacres of Native Americans are barely even mentioned. On top of that, for Thanksgiving and Halloween, many white Americans dress up as Indians which is nothing but a mockery of what the Indians went through in the Americas.

Although as African Americans, Thanksgiving doesn’t fully mean anything to our race, it does relate to the struggles and massacre that we endured in early American history. The massacre of the Indians can be related to not only the years of slavery that we endured but also today the conspiracy to cover up the harsh details of not only the treatment of Indians but also the treatment of the Africans. We often see the same pattern today with the many deaths in the black community and the effort to cover up facts and details. In grade school, we are taught about the Holocaust and all of the evil things that happened under Adolf Hitler’s reign but we are never taught about the true story of Thanksgiving or even the internment camps that the Americans placed “suspicious” Japanese people in during World War II. In America, we are forced to learn of the negative actions that take place in other countries, but never in our own. It is important to not only understand the background of the national holidays, but also to do personal research to find real facts on American history.

From Your Site Articles
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

An Open Letter To My Grandpa In Heaven

If Heaven wasn't so far away, I'd be there every day.

15362
Nikki Wright

Dear Grandpa,

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

That Feeling of Opening Day

What it means and What Happened

1261
That Feeling of Opening Day

Baseball's Opening Day has inspired countless writers, fans, and players throughout the years. Some notable quotes we remember about this special day are:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

To The 'Best Friend' I Decided I Couldn't Be Friends With Anymore

Most of all, thank you for being the person who finally pushed me to choose myself.

97632
The CW / YouTube

Dear Old Friend,

Keep Reading... Show less
Lifestyle

7 Tips For Traveling

Don't miss any of these ideas to make your trip complete!

3307
7 Tips For Traveling

Whether it's a day trip, an out-of-state journey, or an experience leaving the country, here are some tried and true traveling tips.

Before any trip, we all think about what to pack and what to bring. We may have a strict itinerary, or we may have looser guidelines for what to do when. But we should also consider the following - make them goals:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

Writer of the Month: Hunter Johnstone

As an aspiring author, Hunter knew writing for Odyssey would be a great fit for her.

2883
Writer of the Month: Hunter Johnstone

Response writers are what make the world go round at Odyssey! Using our response button feature, they carry on our mission of sparking positive, productive conversations in a polarized world.

Keep Reading... Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments