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OPINION: Take this short quiz to see whether your Turkey Day is Black AF or if it is still colonized!
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Most people celebrate white Thanksgiving.
When a group of indigenous Americans accepted a dinner invitation from the invaders who would spend the next century murdering the natives’ families, stealing their land and erasing their history, it was a momentous occasion …
For white people.
It was not the first time the indigenous Americans had attended an all-white party — the Wampanoags had been in contact with Europeans for more than a century and already spoke English when the evangelical Christians showed up. Cultures from Africa to South America already celebrated fall harvests and thanked their gods long before the inaugural Wypipo Picnic. Plus, the menu at the Caucasian cookout was the same food that the natives ate every day (probably with less seasoning, though).
Black Thanksgiving is different.
When Black families come together on the fourth Thursday in November, our celebration has nothing to do with Pilgrims, pumpkins or free real estate. Ours is less about colonizing and is much more cousin-centric. But, if you don’t know which one your family observes, theGrio has put together this handy-dandy quiz to let you know which holiday you have been celebrating.
Answer Key: If you need the answers, your Thanksgiving is white AF. Enjoy your stuffing and pumpkin pie!
Michael Harriot is an economist, cultural critic and championship-level Spades player. His New York Times bestseller Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America is available everywhere books are sold.
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