National Day of Mourning

Having been born into this world as part Cherokee and part White man American I must say I am proud to be an American but I am as much proud to be Cherokee. Being accepted into and learning more about the Cherokee ways of life later in life I must say this gave me a different outlook on life. The National Day of Mourning is a day to protest hosted since 1970 by the Native Americans of New England. It occurs on the fourth Thursday of November (which is also Thanksgiving in the U.S.)



The National Holiday of Thanksgiving is not a celebration but a reminder of a time in history that Native Americans would rather forget. The sufferings of yesteryear and those that still continue are part of the day of mourning but more importantly are the Native ancestors and their struggle through life. There is much more to American history than what is taught in the schools. The Day of Mourning is hosted and organized by Native American activism and general cultural protests. Through the Day of Mourning revisions of the U.S. history have taken place as well as an appreciation to the Native American culture. The Day of Mourning and protest of Native Americans will continue for how long.....

Some ask us: Will you ever stop protesting? Some day we will stop protesting: We will stop protesting when the merchants of Plymouth are no longer making millions of dollars off the blood of our slaughtered ancestors. We will stop protesting when we can act as sovereign nations on our own land without the interference of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and what Sitting Bull called the "favorite ration chiefs". When corporations stop polluting our mother, the earth. When racism has been eradicated. When the oppression of Two-Spirited people is a thing of the past. We will stop protesting when homeless people have homes and no child goes to bed hungry. When police brutality no longer exists in communities of color. We will stop protesting when Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Puerto Rican independentistas and all the political prisoners are free. Until then, the struggle will continue.

Moonanum James, 29th National Day of Mourning November 1998