As we are finally nearing the end of the semester, Thanksgiving is right around the corner! With the festivities in sight, many in our nation have decided to contemplate and address the uncomfortable truths embedded in this celebration. Many of us harbor revolving questions in our minds, such as, “Should we acknowledge the truth in the midst of our celebration? Should we just ignore it and create our own meaning of Thanksgiving? Should we even celebrate it at all?” I went around and asked people on campus for their opinions:
When asked if he participates in the holiday, Darius Bridges (Freshman Enrollment Counselor) said, “I kinda celebrate Thanksgiving—mostly just for the food and the parade.” I paused to acknowledge that those are my favorite parts of Thanksgiving as well, then I asked him about the complex truths of the holiday. He replied, “While Thanksgiving can be looked at as a way to give thanks, it doesn’t negate the history and the premise with which the holiday began.” His point of view is that we must find a way to balance the importance of what happened while finding a way to see joy through it.
For some, like Lucille Borges (sophomore, speech pathology), Thanksgiving isn’t a prominent festivity in their home. She said, “The history does make it quite sad, but I’ve never had strong positive feelings towards Thanksgiving. My family has never been huge Thanksgiving celebrators in general. We just have dinner together, and it’s not even usually thanksgiving-type food, but it depends on the year.”
Thanksgiving can also be somewhat stressful. Nathaniel Chung (senior, religion) states, “Thanksgiving used to be one of the most enjoyable holidays to spend time with family, but it is now cram time for classes because two weeks later are finals.” His thoughts on the history of thanksgiving are straight to the point: “Anyone who thinks that the history of Thanksgiving overshadows the holiday has a weird thought process. If you can’t enjoy it, you’re ignoring all the good that has come out of the holiday.”
Finally, I decided to bring it home and speak to my mom about her thoughts on Thanksgiving since it is a family-centered holiday. “Thanksgiving is a new, beautiful, adopted holiday that I never knew before because in Zimbabwe we never had that. So when I came to the US, my cousin introduced me to it, and ever since then, it has become one of the best holidays in my family. What I like most about it is that we take time off of our busyness to gather at home and to give thanks to God over a meal.” And, to her knowledge, Thanksgiving was made for fellowship.
Thanksgiving was a joyous family gathering in my home that I looked forward to every year. I distinctly remember when I discovered the uncomfortable truth that the pilgrims and the Native Americans didn’t sit at a table singing kumbaya and eating corn. Instead, they had a long bloody history behind them. I was disgusted. A holiday I revered was built on terrible injustice—as most things are. But, I find that acknowledging history and understanding the errors made is a step in the right direction. Remembering is the first line of defense against repeating the same mistakes. But now, celebrating Thanksgiving is a wonderful excuse to be with your loved ones and appreciate each other’s company. I hope everyone has an exciting break. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.