Many American families, including some Black Americans, will today gather around their dinner tables to celebrate what is believed to be a joyful feast between Pilgrims and Native Americans, even though many have given different meanings to the holiday due to its dark history.
Thanksgiving is celebrated to give thanks for the fruits of the previous harvest. In America, the celebration dates back to 1621, when the harvest was celebrated by the Pilgrims who had sailed from England on the ship Mayflower in September 1620 and were now settlers of the Plymouth Colony in what’s now called Massachusetts.
To some historians, there was no happy feast between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans at the time. These historians describe the situation as white colonists who invaded a land, claimed it as their own, and slaughtered the indigenous people of the land in what is called the Pequot War between the settlers and the natives. This war resulted in the massacre of about 700 natives (Pequot Indians).
All these happened at about the same period of slavery when the earliest ships of African slaves arrived in America. Although Thanksgiving is linked to the struggles and massacres that these Africans endured in early American history, they embraced the celebration even during slavery. Thanksgiving, for most blacks, was along the Christian faith and throughout black churches in Antebellum America, pastors would openly preach against slavery and the struggles of black people, with hopes that their troubles would cease soon.
Today, many African Americans celebrate Thanksgiving away from the church with family and friends. For such people, the Day is to celebrate their journey of living in America and turn those struggles into something positive.
For critics or Black Americans who do not celebrate the Day, the root of Thanksgiving which is about the slaughter of the Indian natives is linked to the years of slavery that Africans endured in America and the harsh treatment and attacks their descendants endure today in the form of racial attacks and deaths in the black community often overlooked by authorities.
Besides Thanksgiving, some Black Americans don’t celebrate the following holidays:
Independence
Blacks were still slaves in July 1776 when the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. While white colonists were excited to have become independent from Great Britain, enslaved Blacks were still in bondage probably until June 19, 1865 — Juneteenth. Still, some Blacks argue that true freedom didn’t occur with Juneteenth, and after over 200 years, they are still seeking true freedom and liberation. For these Blacks, July 4th is just a day to enjoy some fireworks and get a day off.
Columbus Day
Columbus Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1937. It is celebrated in memory of Christopher Columbus, the man usually credited with “discovering” America. But for many including Blacks, he doesn’t deserve that title as he didn’t discover America. Critics of the holiday say Columbus wasn’t the first to travel to the Americas as Africans often sailed to the Americas to trade.
To these same critics, his supposed discovery led to the murder of Indigenous tribes and enslavement, thus, celebrating the holiday is essentially celebrating colonialism and denouncing his crimes.
Veterans Day
Veterans Day was established to recognize and honor the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. African Americans have been fighting in conflicts for the U.S. since the Revolutionary War but their sacrifices have often been overlooked.
The racism that continues to this day has only made the problems about how Black Americans are treated both in the military and as veterans worse.
Organizations like the Black Veterans Project (BVP) were established to help preserve the legacy of America’s 2.5 million black veterans and lead advocacy to eliminate racial inequities in and out of uniform. These worrying factors do not inspire some Black folks to observe Veterans Day.
