{"id":2399,"date":"2015-11-25T12:00:10","date_gmt":"2015-11-25T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/feminist\/?p=2399"},"modified":"2022-09-27T09:05:26","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T13:05:26","slug":"finding-ways-to-feel-grateful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/feminist\/2015\/11\/25\/finding-ways-to-feel-grateful\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding ways to feel grateful\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mindy Fried:\u00a0 \u201cNew Chapters\u201d\u2026
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This is the second year that Feminist Reflection editors have tried to write something about Thanksgiving. I say \u201ctried\u201d because for something that seems simple, we have found that it\u2019s not an easy charge. Here is a holiday that calls upon people to feel thankful for what we have, but we can\u2019t ignore the fact that the holiday is framed around a distortion of American history that is, in actuality, about genocide. So I will start out by saying that I\u2019m grateful for a very funny, but informative, web video, De-Coded<\/a><\/em>, created by actress\/comedian Francesca Ramsey, where she sets her family straight about Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

As guests admire a child\u2019s drawing showing Native Americans and Pilgrims sharing a meal, one person reads the picture\u2019s text: \u201cAfter the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims survive their first winter in America, the Puritans invited them to share the first Thanksgiving dinner.\u201d Guests pass the child\u2019s drawing around the table, with approving oohs and ahh\u2019s until it gets to Francesca, who holds up the child\u2019s picture and says slowly, \u201cThese are adorably\u2026WRONG!\u201d She rips the drawing in two, to their shock, and then provides her family with the real history lesson about the genocide of the Native Americans by the Pilgrims, using humor as her weapon. By the time she has deconstructed the real meaning of the holiday, family members start questioning the meaning of everything, even the cranberry sauce! Lesson learned; humor prevails.<\/p>\n

When we at FR think about what to write, we\u2019re initially up against our despair, not only about the lies about this holiday, but about what a mess our world is in:\u00a0 rampant Islamaphobia following the Paris attacks, pervasive racism throughout our communities and on our college campuses, the all-out attack on women\u2019s reproductive rights and so much more\u2026\u00a0 At the same time, we feel lucky that we can enjoy the pleasure of our families, our friends, our teaching and research, and our communities. That\u2019s a privilege that not everyone has\u2026<\/p>\n

So we write this Thanksgiving post with the understanding that so much is wrong with the world, but that we have an opportunity to notice what is good; to put down our cell phones and (momentarily) walk away from our computers and maybe even other technology, to enjoy a minute, an hour, a day where we can be grateful for what we have. Because regardless of the holiday\u2019s history, it is important in these difficult times to appreciate one another and our loved ones, to appreciate the food we share, to be joyful, to sing and dance in ways that move our hearts, to take joy in the people around us, including young and old, to recognize our accomplishments along with our struggles, to feel our connectedness along with our isolation. And certainly, to recognize the opportunity we have to make this world a better place, in whatever way we can.<\/p>\n

\"Athieno<\/a>
Athieno Band; Photo Credit: Olivia Deng<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What am I grateful for this year? Over the past two years, I have taken a leap and started producing music and art festivals with a dear friend. It began with the organizing of Jamaica Plain Porchfest<\/a>, a decentralized music\/arts festival in which people perform on porches throughout the community. Previously, my work kept me tethered to my computer, a meeting room, and sometimes a classroom. This work has grown into producing other community-based events throughout the City of Boston where I live. I am deeply grateful to be living this new chapter in my life, one that allows me to work with artists, other producers, and inspiring community activists who also see the value in using the arts to grow social movements.<\/p>\n

And now on to my wonderful colleagues, for whom I am very grateful!<\/p>\n

Kristen Barber: \u201cMotherhood\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

These days I am more thankful than ever. Having welcomed our daughter into our lives, my spouse and I now find the mundane more thrilling (albeit more exhausting). I am also reminded of my privilege more often than before. When I feed Bea a bottle of formula, change her soiled diaper, or buy her a new winter coat, I think of those parents who cannot afford to do the same for their children.<\/p>\n

Other women who are not as privileged as I am remind me that I can feed my child without having to bear the evaluative eye of a state service worker rationing out formula and that I am buying premium<\/em> formula. Moreover, I don\u2019t have to scrape the waste from Bea\u2019s diaper in an effort to make it last longer, I can feed her every time she cries in hunger, and I can pay my heating bill to keep her warm.<\/p>\n

Below are some child welfare organizations helping to provide needy families with those items\u2014like food, diapers, and coats\u2014that babies and children need to stay healthy and warm year round. Go ahead and click on the below links for more information and, in the spirit of thanksgiving<\/em>, consider supporting these organizations (and by extension struggling parents and their children), if you can.<\/p>\n