Sitting down with my family for Thanksgiving dinner we
started going around the table one by one to say what we are grateful for this
year. When it came to my niece’s turn,
she didn’t just say what she was thankful for she mentioned several
marginalized groups that her thoughts went out to during this season. Days later her comments still resonate with
me.
My thoughts go to the people at the border and yes, the
troops sitting waiting for the caravan it can’t be much fun being a pawn in a political fight. I thought about the homeless, the people in
prison, or in immigration detentions, the list seems endless. At the end of all
this thankfulness just doesn’t seem enough. I've heard people criticize Thanksgiving first for the roots of where it came from but also why take "ONE" day a year. The disenfranchised are disenfranchised everyday of the year holiday or not.
What are disenfranchised people
thankful for? People who are prevented from participating fully in this world how does thanksgiving help them and what can I do? I ask
myself this every day. Since being in the Peace Corps I strongly
object to the tactic of handouts alone. That’s
not to say people don’t need help, they do, but what will help people in the
long run? As much as I believe in opening
avenues of self-reliance by building skills and working to end prejudices, I
have helped homeless service organizations at hygiene centers,
I have helped hand out Christmas presents at a shelter, did childcare, and worked with
mentally ill adults.
What I am most thankful for are all the people who are
working to make this world a better place for all of us. Being a sustainable activist year after year
is not an easy task and during this time in history activism, and resistance to
the racist, worker, and gender biases in the world today has become more
important than ever. Change doesn’t stop
for the holiday. In the end as I share a meal with my family I just enjoy the moment and think about my goals to change the world in the coming year.
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