The Truth is in the Corn Pudding: Decolonize Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Join OJI:SDA' Sustainable Futures, Story House Ithaca, and writer and educator Yvonne Dennis for this interactive workshop on rethinking Thanksgiving dinner.

Every November, Americans teach their children about the courage of the Pilgrim settlers and the trust that grew between them and their "Indian" neighbors. The Thanksgiving meal is meant to echo the story of the original feast.

But the story isn't true. We celebrate a mythological version of the American Indian, not Indigenous people as they were or they are. And the fairy tale about the first Thanksgiving could hardly be farther from reality. Over the years, the holiday hype has only served to perpetuate stereotypes that fuel racism and reinjure Native peoples.

Yvonne Dennis (Sand Hill Band of Cherokee and Lenape Indians and Syrian) provides pointers on how to celebrate Indigenous people and values -- not just at Thanksgiving, but in your daily life.