On this day, OAR celebrates and honors all Indigenous Peoples and communities all across the country and all OAR participants and their families who are a part of these beautiful communities.
Although there is so much to celebrate and be grateful for, we also want to pay our respects and take a moment to also allow room for mourning and grievances for all the ancestors, land, and culture that was taken from Indigenous Peoples and their communities due to the colonization of Indigenous peoples and their land. As a part of OAR’s Upstream efforts, we lift up the voices of all Black, Indigenous, Latine/x/o/a, Asian, and Multicultural (BILAM) people, to create a safe, harmonious community for all to live and thrive.
We want to remind our community of the true meaning behind the “Thanksgiving” holiday - that it is a colonized holiday that is a reminder of the harm, violence, and repression brought upon Indigenous Peoples and the theft of their Native lands.
Not just today, but every single day, we want to honor and respect all Indigenous Peoples, their ancestors, and all the contributions, culture, labor, and land that belong to these communities, and help dismantle the colonized projection of this holiday.
With respect to Indigenous People’s Heritage month, here are some more accounts that you can follow in support of amplifying Indigenous People’s voices:
@indigneouspeoplesmovement
@indigenouswomenrising
@indigenouswomenintech
@indigenouswomenhike
@nativelovestories
@yourkinfolkz
@globalindigenousnetwork
@illuminative
@indigenouseducators
@riseindigenous
@nativeorganizersalliance
@rezilienceorg
@decolonizemyself