Cultivating a Livable Future: Thanksgiving Resources

A critical part of building a livable future for all involves learning, unlearning, and confronting difficult truths about our past. It is only when we dispel our myths and take an honest, critical eye to our stories that we can authentically begin the work of reconciliation, reparation, rebuilding, and realizing a truly livable future for all.

The Thanksgiving story is one that is long overdue for confrontation and reframing. We owe it to our Indigenous neighbors and ourselves to tell the truth about our colonial history and the ways it continues to manifest today, in order to be in better relationship with the land and with each other.

In the words of photographer, filmmaker, writer, and cohost of the All My Relations podcast, Matika Wilbur:

“What does it mean to be an ally? How can we reframe this day? On this holiday, this day of mourning for some, where people are fasting and remembering the genocide and oppression that our people have endured for hundreds of years since contact, since the first Thanksgiving if you will - let us remember that we have a responsibility to be in good relationship with the Indigenous relatives of Turtle Island and that in doing the work of having these conversations with our kids, we are starting to build better relationships. A relationship in a way that goes beyond performative land acknowledgements but rather gives land back, or at least builds relationships in a way that the land can be shared. That we can create nations that support the sovereignty and self-determination of our Indigenous relatives.”

With immense gratitude to our teachers and the creators of this content and knowledge, we have gathered the following (non-exhaustive) list of resources to help guide us on this journey of learning, unlearning, confronting, connecting, and taking action.

Wishing you and yours a safe, meaningful, connected, relationship-affirming Thanksgiving.

Our Livable Future, Climate Resources, ArchiveSarah LundquistReflections