“You and I have to rejoice that we have not to answer for our fathers’ crimes, neither shall we do right to charge them one to another. We can only regret it, and flee from it, and from henceforth, let peace and righteousness be written upon our hearts and hands forever.”
–William Apess, 1798-1839, Pequot Tribe
I love Thanksgiving so much. I love the time with my family and friends. I love the incredible fatty carbs and pies. I love that we take time to practice and express gratitude. We’ve literally got homemade coconut cream pies in the oven right now while I write this.
But we have to acknowledge the problematic history around the narrative of this holiday. Not so we can sound woke. Not so we can be sad and miserable on Thursday. But so we can tell the truth about our history, and take the advice of the first Native American ordained Methodist minister, William Apess. Regret the past. Flee from it. And let peace and righteousness be written upon our hearts and hands forever.
If you are unfamiliar with Apess, here’s a short and powerful read: An Indian’s Looking Glass for the White Man, (1833). Much like Fredrick Douglass, Apess wrote popular and convincing arguments for equality in a time where white supremacy was destroying black and native lives. In this short essay, Apess challenges his readers to not just feel bad for the plight of the Native American, but “pray you stop not till this tree of distinction shall be leveled to the earth, and the mantle of prejudice turn from every American heart.”
Popular culture and mainstream education would have us believe that the first Thanksgiving was a beautiful portrait of courageous Christian pioneers responding with gratitude to the kindness and welcome of the Native Americans. But the reality is, white colonizers would celebrate and give thanks to God after massacring and looting entire indigenous tribes. Does God accept gratitude built on the backs of black and native blood?
The fourth Thursday of November is officially a National Day of Mourning for Native Americans.
“Thanksgiving day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience.”
Christians are supposed to be all about the Truth. We think it’s important to speak the truth about God, we believe Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We believe the truth will set you free. We believe in repentance, the actual naming of sin and turning from it.
So why would any Christian be offended when minority groups tell the truth about our history? Why would any Christian make a political platform to ban and forbid historical truth telling? Christians should be at the forefront of truth-telling, insisting that honor and restore all those who have been hurt…especially those who have been hurt by Christians. Christians, who speak so highly of the truth, should be prepared to acknowledge the ongoing impact of historical racism.
Repentance is not about guilt or shame. The Christian call to repent is not a call to just sit around and feel crappy about about what’s happened. Repent means change your mind, and in so doing, change your behavior.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?7Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter– when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?8Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [1] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.9Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,10and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
You can contribute to real families in need through NativeHope.com. Please do learn more about ways we can transform our gratitude into truth and action.
Today’s Wesley Bros Comic was inspired by the first Friendsgiving episode of the incredibly white 90’s sitcom Friends. See the scene I based my comic on here.