Garvey's Ghost: Black Talk

Thanks for...

Another Thanksgiving has arrived in the US. Millions of people are eating Tuyrkey and giving thanks for all that they have. I'm not one of them. I'm thankful for everything I have all the time. I know that but for a change in cirmustance I could be living an entirely different life. I could be living the life of a Native American on a Reservation. Many mainstream publications are talkign about how they are thankful for this and that, but fail to remind, and in some cases educate the reader as to the ture history and meaning of Thanksgiving. Indeed in a an article in the NY Times they report on a Hispanic family who says:

"When you come to this country, Thanksgiving is something that you just kind of adopt right way," Mr. Rojas said. "You can relate to the mythology of the Pilgrims' coming here and the Indians' helping them out, just like your relatives are helping you out."



really? For the uninformed, the Pilgrims, after showing so much thanks for the Natives showing them how to survive by teaching them how to plant corn and such, showed their gratitude by systematically killing off the Native American and taking thier land. Thanks.

So in reality, Thanksgiving marks the begining of the end for Native Americans and their way of life in the Americas. It is truely a story of ungratefulness and downright inhumanity. I don't identify with that at all. In fact when I learned of this tragedy I used to make it a point of reminding people of this during gatherings. Needless to say I was soon not asked to come to such events. Isn't it sad that Americans, especially black Americans would not want to take stock in what Thanksgiving actually stands for and at least, at the very minimum take time out on that day to remember the true significance of the day, and to affirm that they would not display the same callousness to those who helped them be where they are today. Now that would be something I could toast to.

Think on it.

Links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/25/national/25thanks.html?hp&ex=1101445200&en=87aa902094babd48&ei=5094&partner=homepage