Since Thanksgiving Day 1970, the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts has hosted the National Day of Mourning, when Native Americans from all over the country demonstrate against all that happened after they kept the Pilgrims alive during the first winter.
Statue of Massasoit, Chief of the Wampanoags, the tribe that enabled the Pilgrims survive their first winter, on Cole's Hill, overlooking Plymouth Harbor.
The plaque reads, in part: "To [Native Americans], Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture. Participants in national Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today...It is a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience. Erected by the Town of Plymouth on behalf of the United American Indians of New England."
The United American Indians of New England (UAINE) sponsor the event annually. In spite of the fact that it was held on Thanksgiving Day, it was well attended by a diverse crowd.
This was the last official day of my America bus trip. But my blog is not over! I had the opportunity to travel further, not in America but in "the Americas," Costa Rica to be exact. My son is an expat there, teaching ESL and loving all the Costa Ricans who are just like him, happy and not riddled with angst. Businesses in CR accept dollars, so that makes it official, my travels there were American. Stay tuned.
Wow, Norma. What can one say to this? Wow.
ReplyDeleteYes, Steph, it's pretty wow.
ReplyDeleteMy penal Bill Tarleton just sent me an e-mail with specific examples of why he thinks New England Yankees are a breed apart and unacceptable : ) Here are his comments:
ReplyDelete"awww, it's hard to do that (specifics). There is a stretch of hwy very close by where there are "No Parking" signs on the shoulder every ten feet, about 40 of them in a row. Imagine that city council meeting. (Hwy 133 in Rowley). Only a photo will do it justice. I guess they don't want you to park along that stretch.
"If you really want to get a feeling for the true yankee character (Bostonian) peruse the daileys at your library, there is only one newspaper up here, the Boston Globe, and they are real hi-falutin' and always giving themselves awards for sumthin or t'other, and just look in the editorial pages for their daily take on things. Today they are preaching about how automobile manufactures need to make their dashboards less distractive for drivers, seeing as so many people are yakkin' on their cell phones and crashing into one another...not a single mention about the idiot behind the wheel, it's the car-makers fault. They are always looking down their noses at someone or something, and i spend way tooo much time agonising over it! (there is one other newpaper- the Boston Herald, but that's a Murdoch tabloid and a joke)...
"Okay, so now i need to go take a photo of the no parking signs...
"another funny note...the Globe is owned by the NYTimes, but i think the Times is a pretty good paper..."
Anybody agree/disagree with his assessment of Yankees, the Boston Globe, anything?