Categories:
11.28.2022
As people across our community and our country celebrate Thanksgiving, a National Day of Mourning is also observed to dispel myths about the Thanksgiving story, to recognize the historic and present-day genocide of indigenous people, and to honor their resilience.The first National Day of Mourning demonstration was held in 1970, when indigenous people and their allies gathered on Cole’s Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The gathering occurred weeks after a member of the Wampanoag Nation, Wamsutta Frank James, was asked to censor a speech he wrote for a Massachusetts Thanksgiving Day celebration commemorating the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower. He refused.
The demonstration continues annually in Plymouth and is livestreamed. Learn more here.
In addition to coordinating the National Day of Mourning, the United American Indians of New England advocate for the Massachusetts Indigenous Legislative Agenda.