While for many people Thanksgiving is simply a time of food, family, and friends, we think it’s important to remember the true story of Thanksgiving. While many of us think about this day as a way to commemorate a positive relationship between the Pilgrims and Native Americans in the 1600s, the reality is significantly different.
We’ve put together a few resources to help you learn more about the history behind this day and rethink the ways that you choose to commemorate it going forward.
We encourage you to share this information with your loved ones and have an honest, open discussion about the meaning of Thanksgiving and how you can do your part to combat Native erasure in American history.
- National Geographic – A few things you (probably) don’t know about Thanksgiving
- The New York Times – Most Everything You Learned About Thanksgiving Is Wrong
- Time Magazine – The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell Is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I’ve Found a Better Way to Celebrate the Holiday
- Bustle – 9 Myths About Thanksgiving & The Real Facts Behind Them
- Medium – Decolonizing Thanksgiving: A Toolkit for Combatting Racism in Schools