As I was preparing for the upcoming Thanksgiving theme that I want to do with my kids in speech therapy, it got me thinking of how I was going to responsibly and truthfully teach my students about Thanksgiving.

First, I would like to state that I am proudly part Native American. I have relatives from both the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes on both sides of my family. However, I don’t typically identify as a Native American. I know very little about their culture and history other than what I learned in my Native American special class in elementary school.

But here’s the deal – you don’t have to be Native American to understand that this country has committed huge atrocities against the indigenous people of this land.

As educators, therapists, parents, and anyone who works with young minds – it is our duty (and privilege) to educate children on the truths about racism and crimes committed by white people. We cannot white wash history and pretend that Thanksgiving was some happy, lovely time where the Pilgrims and Native Americans became friends and ate a feast together.

We need to educate children on the truth.

We need to share Native American voices and always consider their perspective when talking about the colonization of America.

I think that we can still celebrate Thanksgiving in the sense of spending time with loved ones and practicing gratitude for all that we have. Thankfulness is so crucial, especially with Black Friday being the next day (really the next hour) saying “actually no, there are so many things that you still need!”

And I do think that we should teach the Thanksgiving story. But the real one. The one that recognizes how incredibly generous and selfless the Native American people were to help the settlers grow crops and survive when the settlers would later go on to kill close to 90% of tribe communities. (Not even counting the atrocities that happened later in history and continue to happen this day.)

There are a lot of things we should teach and say, and then a lot that we shouldn’t.

So here are simple DOs and DON’Ts for being more culturally appropriate / sensitive this Thanksgiving season –

DON’T

• Appropriate. Cultural appropriation is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.” For Thanksgiving, this can mean not letting students dress up in Native American costumes – such as wearing a headdress.
• White wash history. Don’t only share the settlers point of view when telling the story. (This includes not reading books that do this.) Do not make the settlers into heroes. They are not. History needs to hold them accountable for their despicable actions.

DO

• Share Native American voices and their thoughts on Thanksgiving. You can even share the story and have your students consider their perspective before you share some examples. One that I like is by Jaqueline Keeler titled Thanksgiving: A Native American View
• Tell the story truthfully. Acknowledge all of the mistakes made and crimes committed. It’s ok for kids to know the truth without going into gory details.
• Discuss Native Americans in our country today. Talk about their rights, struggles, and how non-Native Americans can be better advocates for them. Maybe do activities with your students to better understand how Native Americans are impacted by policies in our country such as the exploitation of the natural resources on their lands.
• Discuss how we can still celebrate Thanksgiving as a time to focus on our loved ones and gratitude. Talk about what you are thankful for and ways that you can show your appreciation to other people, your body, your possessions, and our planet.

I’m taking these ideas to heart and trying to learn more about Native Americans, both past and present, before I bring up Thanksgiving in my speech therapy sessions.

I encourage you to do the same! Let’s know better, do better, and be better.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Emily B | School SLP