No turkey pardon here! And hambones will be plenteous!

Nothing says Thanksgiving like turkey, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie for Americans. And these centerpieces or staples for Thanksgiving dinner are indigenous to the Americas.

But why do Americans enshrine and celebrate Thanksgiving Day?

You will find different answers to this question, including this one—to celebrate the harvest and past year’s blessings. And this is as good a reason as any.

But Thanksgiving should also include a personal gratitude.

I’m thankful to God for life, family, friends, and liberty this Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving is a tradition that dates back to the first Pilgrims who landed in the Americas. One of the first Thanksgiving celebrations, an Autumn harvest feast, was shared by the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians in 1621. They had a feast!

And oh! What a feasting table we will set!

The family gathering won’t be as robust as in previous years. There will be four instead of 24 this year. But the day will be heartfelt.

The pandemic will not win!

Like so many others, we will celebrate by Facebook, FaceTime, and other social mediums.

But did you know that there are Americans who won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving Day?

Did you know there’s such a thing as Unthanksgiving Day?

Yes, there is such a day. November 26, 2020, is Unthanksgiving Day for Native Americans.

But it’s not an unthankful day for life and blessings.

It’s an unthankful day and memorial to protest Europeans in the colonization of their land and the killing of indigenous Native Americans.

No, Thanksgiving Day is not a celebratory day for Native Americans. They refuse to celebrate the genocide of their people that carved a stronghold and prosperous life for another people, the European colonists.

Since November 27, 1975, on Alcatraz Island, the International Indian Treaty Council puts on Unthanksgiving Day, and the event is open to the public. Also called the Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony (IPSC), the event coincides with Thanksgiving Day in America. The IPSC honors Native Americans, promote their rights, and commemorates their struggles and survival after European colonization.

Every coin has two sides. Now you know the other side of Thanksgiving Day, Unthanksgiving Day..

Celebrate your gratefulness this Thanksgiving 2020!

Be safe.