Thursday, November 23, 2017

Simon Moya Smith

Native American Heritage Day falls on the one day each year
when Americans ravenously indulge in material possessions
— Black Friday. So is this an insult to Native Americans?
Of course it is. How could it not be?
If Native American Heritage Day fell on Nov. 5, for example,
then students would be in the classroom and teachers could
offer lessons about the Native American today. But no.
Instead, streams of bundled-up shoppers are standing in
line to make their purchases, with the class the last thing on any kids’ minds as they sit watching TV.
If we’re going to choose a day for Native American Heritage
Day when school is out, then how about Thanksgiving Day
itself? Why not? That way we could learn about the real
history of the holiday, and not the romanticized version
we all hear about.
Simon Moya Smith
Essay on CNN

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