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look I mean look at here I got beans
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greens potatoes tomatoes chicken turkey
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you name it are we going to run that
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Thanksgiving holds a unique place in
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American culture often portrayed as a
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time for family gratitude and Indulgence
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in a feast however for many black
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Americans the relationship with
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Thanksgiving is complex shaped by the
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intersection of History culture and
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personal experience while the holiday
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has become a staple for most Americans
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its historical Origins and social
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Dynamics have influenced how when and
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why black families Embrace or reject it
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in today's short video we'll look at the
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history of Thanksgiving and the black
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community and why some black people
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still refuse to celebrate this popular
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holiday and what turns out to actually
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have a very complicated history
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Thanksgiving traces its roots to the
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pilgrims and Native Americans a
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narrative that often omits the
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systematic oppression and genocide of
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indigenous people the first Thanksgiving
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is traditionally associated with with
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the Harvest feast in 1621 shared between
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the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the
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Wampanoag people the pilgrims having
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survived their first harsh winter with
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the help of indigenous knowledge held
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the feast to give thanks for the
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successful Harvest a woic leader and
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about 90 of his people join the 3-day
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event the feast is often romanticized as
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a peaceful collaboration between
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pilgrims and Native Americans in reality
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the relationship was tense and later
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deteriorated with violence and land
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dispossession defining much of their
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interactions black Americans whose
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history in the United States is marred
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with violence and oppression have also
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wrestled with this holiday's
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implications for some thanksgiving's
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Origins are a reminder of colonialism
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and inequality making it challenging to
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fully embrace the occasion it wasn't
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until the 19th century that Thanksgiving
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was popularized as a national holiday by
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President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 this
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was during the Civil War a time when
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black Americans were enslaved in the
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South because the holiday is at the end
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of the harvest season enslaved people
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were at times allowed to take the time
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off and could even visit separated
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family members and neighboring
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plantations after the Civil War many
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emancipated black families begin to
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celebrate Thanksgiving but often in ways
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that diverge from White American
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traditions these gatherings were less
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about the pilgrim narrative and more
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about fostering Community survival and
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gratitude for Freedom the holiday for
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black Americans became a Reclamation a
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time to express resilience and honor of
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their Heritage often through food music
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and storytelling for some black people
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particularly during the black power and
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civil rights movements of the 1960s and
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'70s Thanksgiving was viewed with
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skepticism activists like Malcolm X and
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members of the Nation of Islam critique
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the holiday as a symbol of American
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hypocrisy a celebration of abundance in
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a nation marked with systematic
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inequalities they questioned how a
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nation could celebrate gratitude while
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denying basic rights to marginalized
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communities we are African and we happen
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to be in America our forefathers weren't
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the pilgrims we didn't land on Plymouth
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Rock The Rock was landed on us this
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period of cultural Awakening LED some
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black families to reject Thanksgiving
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altogether or reframe it with a focus on
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Black Liberation and Community
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solidarity I'll do the turkey actuallyy
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you do the cranberry sauce Carlton you
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do the stuffing Hillary you do the yams
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in the RS the Embrace of Thanksgiving
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among black Americans begin to shift
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more visibly in the late 20th century
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with growing influence of black culture
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and mainstream media black families
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redefined the holiday to align with
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their values Thanksgiving became less
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about pilgrims and more about family
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food and fellowship soul food a Cuisine
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deeply rooted in black history became a
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central part of Thanksgiving for many
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black families dishes like collar greens
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candy yams macaroni and cheese and sweet
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potato pie added a unique flavor to the
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holiday transforming it into a
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celebration of black identity and
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creativity in the kitchen additionally
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Thanksgiving provided an opportunity for
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black families often scattered by
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migration to reunite for those who Moved
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North during the Great Migration the
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holiday became a great way to reconnect
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with relatives and maintain cultural
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tradition by the late 20th century
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Thanksgiving had became a staple for
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many black households not because of its
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historical Origins but because of its
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modern emphasis on love unity and
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gratitude today Thanksgiving is widely
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celebrated among black Americans often
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with a unique twist that reflects
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cultural Pride whether it's through a
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friends giving gathering with chosen
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family adding Caribbean or African
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dishes to the menu or hosting open
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discussions about black history and
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identity the holiday has been reclaimed
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as a time for joy and connection do any
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of you guys remember those hilarious
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memes on Twitter a few years back about
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Black Thanksgiving Traditions I think it
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was under Thanksgiving with black
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families those were freaking
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hilarious so what's your take on
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Thanksgiving do you celebrate the
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holiday and how do you celebrate it let
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me know in the comments also before I
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leave a little fact for all you guys who
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made it to the end of this video I
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really appreciate it did you know that
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sweet potato pie actually has its roots
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in West Africa it was crazy I didn't
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know that that I thought that originated
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here it just lets you know that many of
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the things that we still do today has
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its roots back in Africa so pretty cool
