Most Americans see Thanksgiving as a celebration of their national roots - and few are so tied to the holiday as
Many of the churches established by the Pilgrims and other early colonists in New England eventually became Unitarian Universalist churches. Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman whose 17-year campaign finally convinced Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday, was reportedly involved in Unitarian communities herself.
Yet despite those deep roots, Unitarian Universalists aren’t feeling so sure today about America’s national day of turkey and stuffing.
On the agenda at this week’s national General Assembly for this liberal, inclusive faith: “Thanksgiving Day Reconsidered.”
The resolution doesn’t ask anyone to give up their turkey dinner. Instead, it calls for a national education program for all Unitarian Universalist churches and camps about the real history of early America, particularly about Native Americans.
“Do I think it’s going to end Thanksgiving dinners that families celebrate? No. But having this conversation – where do you go from there? That could be a wonderful opportunity for a family who’s aware of this call to action,” said Laura Wagner, who is the executive director of a Unitarian Universalist social justice organization in Massachusetts, UU Mass Action.
Wagner suggested that churches might make activism alongside their local Native American communities a part of their Thanksgiving season. Perhaps they could jointly stand up for environmental protection efforts to preserve Native American lands, she said.
Mary Lu Love, president of the district of the Unitarian Universalist Association that proposed the resolution, suggested that congregations research where the land for their own churches came from. That, she said, is “part of the history that’s never told.”
Love’s district, the Ballou-Channing District, includes Plymouth Rock.
“The idea of the proposal is that the UUA prepare materials to support congregations to present the Thanksgiving Day story in a way that’s more respectful of the indigenous people – and also respect the fact that the Pilgrims are some of the people we recognize as predecessors of the UU,” Love said.
Wagner and Love said that they have been working directly with Native American organizations in crafting the resolution.
