This Thanksgiving, Let's Honor and Reflect

 

Today, as we gather our loved ones close and come together to give thanks, it's important to embrace both the warmth of the moment and the deeper significance that this holiday holds.

For many, Thanksgiving is a time for joy, a chance to break bread and share the gratitude that knits us together across miles and memories. Yet, for Indigenous communities, including many of our friends and neighbors, today also carries a weight of mourning—a remembering of histories lost and cultures besieged.

The traditional narrative of Thanksgiving, which emphasizes a supposed harmony between colonizers and Native tribes, overlooks the true and painful impacts of those early encounters. It obscures the profound loss and resilience of Indigenous peoples—losses that echo in the stories of many within our own NDWA family, whose ancestors endured forced labor and displacement.

This November, which also marks Native American Heritage Month, we are called not only to reflect but to act. Let's honor the strength and spirit of Indigenous women, whose leadership and resolve are foundational to both their communities and our collective future.

From the matrilineal societies of the Southeast to the Navajo women who owned and managed extensive lands and livestock, these leaders embodied the virtues we cherish: resilience, community, and stewardship of the generations to come. We invite you to learn more about these powerful histories through our Interactive History of Domestic Work and Worker Organizing.

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We also want to lift up the present-day stories like those of the Indigenous caregivers in New Mexico, members of our affiliate the New Mexico Caregivers Coalition, who have worked tirelessly to advocate for higher wages for care workers and policies that uplift all communities.

It’s crucial that today, especially, we hold space for all narratives, finding unity in forgotten histories and in the shared values that drive us forward: community, care, and mutual respect. Together, we can craft a Thanksgiving that truly reflects the diversity and depth of our experiences.

Thank you for standing with us, for your commitment to understanding and advocacy, and for the part you play in our journey towards a more inclusive and caring world.

With so much uncertainty and turmoil on the horizon, let's take this time to embrace true togetherness, learning from our past to enrich our future. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

With gratitude and hope,

Care Team
National Domestic Workers Alliance

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This email was sent by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the nation's leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States.

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The National Domestic Workers Alliance, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 35-2420942). Donations to NDWA are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.