Dear Campus Community,
As many people across the United States gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving, we invite everyone to reflect on the impact that this celebration has on Indigenous people and what this day means to them. The incomplete and inaccurate Thanksgiving story has led to harm to the cultural self-esteem of generations of Indigenous people. Many of our practices to celebrate this day include cultural misappropriations, perpetuate stereotypes and continue to provide misinformation about Indigenous people and the impact of colonization. Presenting Thanksgiving as a happy time for all trivializes Indigenous history and teaches incomplete information.
We acknowledge that the university is on the traditional homelands of the Puyallup Tribe. The Puyallup people have lived on and stewarded these lands since the beginning of time, and continue to do so today.
Indigenous people of America recognize Thanksgiving as a day of mourning. It is a day to remember ancestral history, and to acknowledge the racism, oppression and genocide they have experienced and continue to experience today. The National Day of Mourning is celebrated with a gathering at the Plymouth Rock historic site since 1970.
So as most of American families gather for Thanksgiving to be with family, share food, laughter and stories, we should also remember and reflect on the incomplete historical information we have received and acknowledge the impact of colonization on Indigenous people. Also reflect on the ways that we can acknowledge the culture and support the original dwellers of this land.
I hope this brief break allows each of you to rest and replenish your energy in order to come back and complete a successful fall semester.
In appreciation and thankfulness for your presence and participation in the Puget Sound community,
Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, Ph.D. (She, Her, Hers)
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity