DECOLONIZING OUR ASPIRATIONS

REFLECTING ON THANKSTAKING & RECLAIMING BLACK FRIDAY

originally released 25 November 2020

So, Thankstaking - I know it looks strange, but hear me out. Surely, I'm not alone in feeling even more conflicted than usual about Thanksgiving this year. The pandemic has given us yet another reason to question the validity of what this holiday is about. We're all craving family time, but if that means traveling then is it really worth risking spreading a deadly virus? The parallels are painful. Disease was, of course, central to the genocide of Indigenous people whom this holiday purports to celebrate. The reality of our current moment has shone a harsh, bright light on the many contradictions of the traditions associated with this day. I think about these issues every year, but I had always maintained that, while the original concept itself is extremely problematic, the sentiment that has since evolved is somewhat beautiful - like the rise of Friendsgivings, and the fact that it's one of the few nationally recognized holidays that has nothing to do with religion. But this year, that doesn't quite seem....enough. I'd been mulling this over for a couple of weeks, when I came upon a panel discussion on the topic, hosted by Art of Citizenry, Reclaim Collaborative, and Ethical Style Journal.

It was incredibly insightful and powerful to spend an hour listening these perspectives and stories, creating space to dig deep and meditate on these issues. Questions arose like - How do we teach our children about more nuanced perspectives, especially when public education refuses to acknowledge histories from BIPOC perspectives?

It was during this discussion that the concept of 'Thankstaking' was brought up. One of the speakers, Charlie Amáyá Scott, mentioned how, growing up, his mother would celebrate every holiday, including what they call Thankstaking dinner.

Finally, the last point that struck me was towards the end of the discussion: there was a pivot towards what comes after Thanksgiving - Black Friday - and how it reflects the intersection of capitalism and racism. The Reclaim Black Friday movement, seeks to redirect the frenzied consumerism of this weekend to the benefit of Black & Indigenous people.

This calls on predominantly white-owned businesses to acknowledge how they have benefited from intersectional privilege, and redistribute wealth to support initiatives driven by “communities whose ancestors had their lands stolen from them and who were stolen from their lands.”

As we know, these brands are harder to find since they're much less represented at major retailers. But they're also unlikely to have the capacity to underwrite big discounts. So this call to action asks us to opt for full-priced products from these brands, rather than cheaper mainstream alternatives that may be on sale.

I've compiled a list of 30 wonderful items from BIPOC-owned brands. (30 is the limit for this new guides feature, and it's a good thing they have a limit because I'd definitely have done something excessive like 100 if they'd given me the chance). I'd love to know what you think!

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