Goodman Community Center | We've been thinking about Thanksgiving

We've been thinking about Thanksgiving

This year, amidst our Thanksgiving Basket Drive, we’re holding space for historical reckoning.

September 26, 2022 |
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For the last 34 years, we’ve hosted our Thanksgiving Basket Drive, an effort that provides thousands of Dane County families with everything they need to make a Thanksgiving meal at home. We’re proud of this event – proud to provide our neighbors with comfort over the holidays and proud of how our community comes together to ensure every family who wants to celebrate Thanksgiving has what they need to do just that. Because for so many in our community and country, Thanksgiving is a time to come together and reflect on the blessings of the past year.

For others, namely neighbors who belong to the Indigenous tribes of Turtle Island (aka, the United States), Thanksgiving can invoke deep sadness and loss.

The American tradition of Thanksgiving has been given a whitewashed history: Though that first fall harvest at Plymouth Rock did see the European pilgrims cooperate with and receive help from the Wampanoag Tribe, those same settlers quickly shifted to brutal cruelty. What followed were centuries of genocide and the forceful removal of Native people from their land.

Here at Goodman, we understand the dark history behind Thanksgiving, and we respect and support those who do not celebrate the holiday. We believe two conflicting ideas can exist at the same time: We can recognize and learn more about the unvarnished history of this holiday while also understanding the importance of gathering to give thanks.

We see our Thanksgiving Basket Drive as an opportunity to offer comfort to our community, and we’re grateful for your support and help in making it happen.

In this season of gratitude, we invite you to learn more about the holiday’s history and our Indigenous neighbors. We also encourage you to share what you learn with your family, friends and network. Thank you for reading and joining in this time of reflection and action.

Here are a few resources we’ve found useful and inspiring.

Thanksgiving Basket Drive

Learn more about what our Thanksgiving Basket Drive is all about.

See How You Can Help

For more information about our Thanksgiving Basket Drive contact:

Amie Hoag

Director of Communications & Annual Giving
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