Thanksgiving. A time to be grateful for our families, all that we have been given in our lives, as well as those who are still with us, along with all the privileges that we are offered regarding our status of living. We enjoy through extravagant dinners, meet with our families and appreciate all the wonderful things in life. However, in the midst of the celebrations and the happy vibes, we tend to overlook the most important aspect about thanksgiving. Regarding the legacy of this holiday, there isn’t much marginalized populations can be thankful for.
People of color in today’s America do not have much to stand on. From the legacy of the country built on imperialism, through the deaths of countless Native Americans due to the greedy desire for colonization of a land that was already inhabited, feeling thankful for such an establishment is slightly sickening. To realize that I ought to be thankful for a country that has marginalized populations of color in a manner that is almost rationalized in a large majority of the population’s mind’s is slightly sickening. But, I continue to be grateful for the opportunities that I have obtained after coming into this country. As a first-generation immigrant, there are a plethora of opportunities that I have been offered here, such as the opportunity to start my life anew and attempt to build it into something successful. However, there is still the legacy that follows the color of my skin, my heritage, and my religion that I refuse to stop believing in simply because it’s so ingrained in my behavior. Perhaps that is where the irony lies.
To realize that I must be grateful for all that the country offers is to realize that docility is a dominant narrative of existence that everyone attempts to impose upon one another. The truth that was far too uncomfortable to directly recognize was the possibility that you could be racist. Through the attempted legal improvements in the United States, through the 13th to 15th as well as the 19th, the concept of racism had become almost an unspeakable truth and wafted from person to person in households, over dinner tables, at church, pretty much everywhere. The most recent election in the United States had created an outlet for that to be released, and for it to be proliferated even further in the guise of combating political correctness, all the while still maintaining the taboo of racism. I don’t think I can be quite grateful for that. I don’t think I can be grateful for my legacy being tied to one of violence and dehumanization.
I am thankful. I am thankful for my ability to recognize all of this. I am thankful for this election, as it finally brought the suppressed racism of America to the forefront, so that people have a legitimate target to destabilize to effectively and legitimately combat racism. I am thankful for my capability to thrive in this country hoping that I will not be recognized by the color of my skin or the ideological delineation that is associated with my religion that I choose to believe in. I am thankful for having the capability to dream of an equal America, free of discrimination and filled with equality. Till then, I can be thankful for my dreams. I can be thankful for my ability to fight. And I will not keep fighting, and I will not succumb. But I simply cannot be thankful for Thanksgiving, no matter what anyone might say.