[Thanksgivingis a hugelyfraught holiday for us AmericanStudiers, but I also have a ton I’mthankful for. So this year I wanted to combine those two perspectives byhighlighting indigenous voices, past and present, for whose contributions toour collective conversations I’m profoundly appreciative!]

As I’vedone for most of the posts in this week’s series, I’m going to start by askingyou to check out two prior pieces of mine:

This SaturdayEvening Post Considering History columnon Wamsutta (Frank) James and the 1970 speech in which he proposed a NationalDay of Mourning.

And thisblog post where I expanded on that column to further consider why and howwe could pair that Day of Mourning with Thanksgiving.

I said agood bit of what I’d want to say today, on this especially fraught ThanksgivingDay, in that blog post in particular. If we can’t find a way to do those multiplethings at once—to remember and mourn while we gather and express gratitude, totruly engage with our worst while we still work for our best, to live with bothsadness and joy—I genuinely don’t know if we can endure as a nation, at least notone with any community worth the name. And Wamsutta James felt the same, as wesee in the moving close of hisspeech: “We the Wampanoags will help you celebrate in the concept of abeginning. It was the beginning of a new life for the Pilgrims. Now, 350 yearslater, it is a beginning of a new determination for the original American: theAmerican Indian.” Bringing past and present together, James reminds us that a NationalDay of Mourning can still be—indeed, if done right would still be—somethingcelebratory and optimistic. Here on the first Thanksgiving since theloss of my father, I’m as personally as I am professionally grateful forthat vision of mourning, of the holiday, and of us all.

Lastthanks tomorrow,

Ben

PS. Whatdo you think? Indigenous voices or texts you’d highlight, or other thanks you’dshare?