Last week, the University at Buffalo held a forum called “Decolonizing Thanksgiving,” where attendees questioned the morality of the holiday given the United States’ “history of settler colonialism.”
The event, hosted by the university’s Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC), asked, “Is it right to celebrate Thanksgiving and America’s history of settler colonialism?”
“What can we do to honor this day of mourning for Native communities? We can redefine the meaning of Thanksgiving and respect indigenous people’s histories.”
Washington University also held a “Decolonizing Thanksgiving event.” The occasion was described as a “thought-provoking event that re-examines the history and narrative of Thanksgiving from an indigenous perspective.”
“Learn about the holiday’s origins, the impact of colonization on Native American communities, and ways to acknowledge and honor indigenous cultures and histories,” the description continued. “This event encourages reflection and conversation on how we can reshape traditions to be more inclusive and mindful of historical context, and it will include presentations from various cultural perspectives and a sample of traditional Thanksgiving foods from different cultures.”
In 2022, Washington University’s Office for International Students and Scholars and the American Indian Student Association (AISA) led a “conversation” centered on the “Real History about Thanksgiving.”
The event focused on “young Native American girls’ experience with the holiday,” the university’s Student Life newspaper said at the time.
A similar discussion on the topic was had by the University at Buffalo in 2021. “This student-led event provides a forum for examining the historical context of Thanksgiving,” the News Center said in a statement. “According to the student organizers, the event will include discussion on such topics as the historical basis of Thanksgiving, the impact of settler colonialism on Indigenous people and acknowledgement of the perspectives of Indigenous people.”
