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National Day of Mourning 2021

Part of the Resource Collection: Working Towards Equity for Native American Children and Families Blog
By: Susan Hibbard, Executive Director, The BUILD Initiative November 24, 2021

This post is a brief recognition of National Day of Mourning.

On this Thanksgiving holiday, we would be remiss not to mention National Day of Mourning. Thanksgiving has been celebrated and taught to school children as the origin story of what would later become the United States, but for many Native Americans, Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the slaughter of millions of Indigenous people and the theft of their lands by outsiders.

National Day of Mourning is an ongoing reminder of the democide and suffering of Native American people. One of the goals of this observance is the education of the general public about the real history of Thanksgiving. By learning about history, donating your time and money, joining social justice advocacy groups, and supporting Native American owned businesses, you can help make this time more inclusive, both this year and in the future.

Learn more about the National Day of Mourning on the UAINE website.

No matter what expression of this time you and your family share, we hope you enjoy a relaxing and reflective holiday.

BUILD thanks its fiscal sponsor, TSNE MissionWorks, for its acknowledgement of National Day of Mourning.

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