As we enter this holiday season, this resource is intended to support educators and families as we address the true story of Thanksgiving.
This guide provides resources that range from lesson plans to narratives that uplift the perspectives and contributions of the Native American community. This document, compiled by Center for Racial Justice in Education, is not meant to be exhaustive and will continually be updated as we are made aware of more resources.
Native American Perspectives, Contributions and Celebrations
- Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address – DanceForAllPeople.com
- Native American Contributions to the U.S. – Partnership with Native Americans
- Thanksgiving POV – Native American Heritage Programs
- American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving – The National Museum of the American Indian
- For Many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a Day of Mourning – The Boston Globe
- Do American Indians celebrate Thanksgiving? – The National Museum of the American Indian
- Do Native Americans Celebrate Thanksgiving and Should You? – Nadra Kareem Nittle
- Thanksgiving 2017: Natives Americans reveal what they think about the day – Andrew Bumcombe
- Don’t be afraid to talk about the real history behind Thanksgiving (Video) – ATTN
Teaching Approaches
- A Culturally Responsive Approach to Discussing Thanksgiving in The Classroom – Linday Barrett
- Decolonizing Thanksgiving: A Toolkit for Combatting Racism in Schools – Lindsey Passenger Wieck
- Teaching about Thanksgiving – LearnNC (UNC School of Education)
- How Does the TT Community Teach Thanksgiving? – Teaching Tolerance
- Teaching Thanksgiving from a Native American Perspective – Holly Maeder Sheehan (http://www.bigpicture.org)
- Culturally Responsive Instruction for Holiday and Religious Celebrations – Dr. Cynthia Lundgren & Giselle Lundy-Ponce
- Teaching Culturally Sensitive Holidays – Sherry Posnick-Goodwin (California Teachers Associations)
- Teaching Thanksgiving in a Socially Responsible Way – Teaching Tolerance
- Teaching Thanksgiving from the Perspective of Native Americans – Christina “Krea” Gomez
Lesson Plans/ Study Guides
- Thanksgiving Mourning (Lesson Plan) – Teaching Tolerance
- Relearning Thanksgiving (Lesson Plan) – ArtsandJustice.org
- Myth and Truth: The “First Thanksgiving” (Lesson Plan) – readwritethink.org
- Celebrations of the Wampanoag Tribe (Lesson Plan) – WampanoagTribe.net
- Re-Thinking Thanksgiving: The Complete Story of an American Holiday (Graphic Organizers) – New York News Publishers Association
- Thanksgiving Interactive: You are the Historian – Plimoth Plantation
- Harvest Ceremony Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth: A Study Guide – The National Museum of the American Indian
- #StandingRockSyllabus, NYC Stands with Standing Rock
Historical Resources
- No Thanks: How Thanksgiving Narratives Erase the Genocide of Native Peoples – Joanne Barker
- Re-Thinking Thanksgiving: Myths & Misgivings – Rethinking Schools
- PBS Series: We Shall Remain – PBS
- Thanksgiving: The annual genocide whitewash – Belen Fernandez
- Thanksgiving and the Conundrum of Cultural Racism – Scot Nakagawa
Resources for Families
- A Letter to Parents About Thanksgiving – Understanding Prejudice.org
- 10 Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving About Social and Environmental Justice – Eve Bratman
- Forced to Dine With a Racist Uncle on Thanksgiving? Text This Holiday Hotline – Jorge Rivas
- A Letter to Parents About Thanksgiving – Understanding Prejudice
- A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving for Educators and Families – John Carroll University
Book Lists
- 7 Thanksgiving Books for Kids Written From the Native Perspective – Cool Mom Picks
- Beyond the So-Called First Thanksgiving: 5 Children’s Books That Set the Record Straight – Indian Country Today
- Native American Children’s Literature Recommended Reading List – First Nations Development Institute
- Kids’ Books That Share True Stories of Native Peoples – Sharon Chang
- 40 Children’s Books Celebrating Native American and Indigenous Mighty Girls – A Mighty Girl
