How should we celebrate, in year of a global pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis?
Thousands are homeless due to economic crisis; thousands have lost their lives to a pandemic that has broken apart families. The need for anti-racist education is essential in the midst of Black Lives Matter, and after a tense election. The year 2020 has brought so many issues into focus and is forcing us like never before to rethink everything from education to cultural traditions.
Eco-social, equitable and sustainable food security
The need to rethink our traditions is essential. How do we move to an eco-social and sustainable harvest? How do we work towards a more equitable food security?
“This Thanksgiving, more than ever, we need to be mindful of the nation’s violent treatment of Native Americans,” said Nikki Sanchez, an Indigenous scholar and documentary filmmaker who lives on Coast Salish territory in Victoria, British Columbia. For more information, you can read this article on Rethinking Thanksgiving.
Those who have the opportunity to celebrate need to be more aware of how the country’s history and how it has been portrayed incorrectly over the centuries. We need to take the time to reflect, to examine where our traditions come from, and to appreciate Native Americans for all they have contributed to our lives on a daily basis. But most of all, we need to think about how we can create justice in this continent, where genocide and manifest destiny has caused intense suffering and devastation. Native Americans are still with us today, not just in the history books.
Soul Nourishing Food
It is time to rethink Thanksgiving celebrations to truly make a difference for Native Americans. Make a change this year by trying new, simple recipes for soul nourishing food featuring ingredients from the Indigenous cultures of North America: turkey, cranberries, squash, beans, pumpkin, wild rice and maple syrup. Cultivate kindness and share this gifts with those in need.
