Honor Indigenous history and foster inclusive gratitude without erasure.
Looking for a quick, actionable way to observe Thanksgiving through a DEI lens? This post gives you a fast, DIY DEI tip you can apply right now.
Thanksgiving is often framed as a celebration of unity, harvest, and gratitude. But for many Indigenous people, it’s a painful reminder of colonization, loss, and historical erasure. The myths surrounding the “first Thanksgiving” often ignore the violence and displacement that followed.
This holiday is an opportunity to embrace gratitude and truth—to celebrate togetherness without glossing over harm.
Why This Holiday Matters
Thanksgiving asks us to rethink how we celebrate—and whose stories we center. This isn’t about canceling the holiday. It’s about widening the lens. Here’s why it matters:
✅ It challenges dominant narratives that erase Indigenous history.
✅ It invites reflection on land, legacy, and what we call “tradition.”
✅ It creates space for inclusive gratitude that honors complexity.
✅ It affirms that holidays can evolve—and so can we.
Rethinking Thanksgiving strengthens inclusion, not just celebration.
One Inclusive Celebration Idea
Try this inclusive activity to mark Thanksgiving:
Add a Land Acknowledgment and Indigenous Gratitude Practice to Your Team Gathering
Here’s how:
- Begin any Thanksgiving-themed meeting, message, or event with a land acknowledgment. Use Native Land Digital to identify the Indigenous territories your office or team operates on.
- Follow it with this question: “What are we grateful for that we didn’t build alone—and who made it possible?”
- Encourage your team to name people, communities, or histories that shaped their opportunities.
- Share Native-created content like this “Thanksgiving Mourning” article from the National Park Service to deepen context.
This small shift turns a feel-good holiday into a real reflection on shared responsibility and respect.
Ready to explore more workplace-ready tips? Keep reading.
Ready for More?
Would you like a more detailed celebration guide for this holiday? 👉 Join our Free Community Here In our community, you’ll find deeper DIY DEI guides, a full diversity calendar, and workplace-ready tools to help you sustain inclusive, impactful celebrations year‑round.
Pause & Reflect
How can you express gratitude in ways that honor truth—and center those who’ve historically been left out of the story?
