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CULTURE
The Other Face of Thanksgiving: A Day of Mourning
Unlearning the myth brings continued commitment.
You must begin anew and put away the wisdom of your fathers.
You must lay up food and forget the hungry.
When your house is built, your storeroom filled, then look around for a neighbor whom you can take advantage of and seize all he has.
~ Red Cloud, Oglala Lakota Chief, when told he must become as the white man
The year 2014 was the last time I celebrated ‘thanksgiving.’
Something about it seemed off, not the part about showing gratitude or spending time with loved ones. All of that is fantastic. I’m talking about those Hallmark holidays, the ones I grew up believing in — valentine’s day, easter, halloween, christmas.
Intentionally, I categorize these in lowercase. Behind their meanings lie much more, and in the case of turkey day, it’s all rather sinister.
That Other Turkey
Growing up in New York City, my family celebrated thanksgiving — Puerto Rican style. That meant we often had pernil (roast pork), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), flan (custard) for dessert. We also had the typical American staples: candied yams, potato salad, and turkey. Back then, I had zero clue as to the real story…
