By Frank Ulom
NEW YORK (CONVERSEER) – Universities and district schools across the United States of America are changing the way Thanksgiving is being celebrated nationwide.
Though rooted in culture and age, the country might have different ways of celebrating this special occasion if the current ideology being pushed by some of the learning institutions stands.
While some are tagging Thanksgiving as being a ‘painful legacy,’ there is a push to even end the event, which they describe as ‘decolonising’ it in classrooms.
Below are some of the highlights:
• UC Davis: Hosted a “Thanksgiving Myth-Busting” event on colonial narratives and land seizures
• MIT: Held a Zoom session on “Decolonizing Thanksgiving in the Classroom”
• UMass: Listed the holiday as a “Day of Mourning” on its DEIA website
• University of Maryland: Presented “Harvesting the Truth” on Indigenous food systems and Thanksgiving myths
• Berkeley Unified School District: Shared a “Rethinking Thanksgiving” guide urging reflection on its “painful legacy” and “nuanced perspectives”
Fox News reports that at the University of California, Davis, the California History-Social Science Project, which describes itself as “Resources & professional learning for K-12 history-social science,” hosted a Zoom event called “Decolonizing Thanksgiving in the Classroom.”
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Earlier this month, Washington University in St. Louis, an institution that has long been criticised over its DEI policies, put out a press release promoting an event that “highlights and honours the way different cultures recognise and understand Thanksgiving, both as part of their history and as a tradition brought into the present day.” The event was described as a way to “actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change.”
Students attending Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico were sent a November Indigenous Education update explaining that “many native people do not celebrate” Thanksgiving because it is a “reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the appropriation of Native lands, and the erasure of Indigenous cultures.” The school district also referred to Thanksgiving as a time of “mourning” for some.
“236 years ago, President George Washington urged Americans to set aside a day to give thanks for the blessings and abundance of our nation. Presidents throughout our history have continued that tradition, reminding us each Thanksgiving to pause and reflect with gratitude,” Paul Runko, senior director of Strategic Initiatives at Defending Education, told Fox News.
