THANKSGIVING & FAMILY

November 2024, New York, NY…, On September 28, 2024, the Women’s Home & Overseas Missionary Society (WH&OMS) and Stewardess Board held its 2^nd Annual Candlelight Banquet honoring longevity members and four generational families of Mother A.M.E. Zion Church.  I was pleasantly surprised when I learned my family, the Chappelle’s, whose church roots were planted at Mother A.M.E. Zion Church around the 1900s, was included as one of the generational families.

Although the banquet was in September, the food and fellowship reminded me of Thanksgiving, a holiday on which families come together to reminisce, eat, drink, and enjoy one another. I shared one of my early childhood Thanksgiving memories in the November 2023 edition of the Star of Zion.

Thanksgiving became a national holiday in October 1863, months after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.  Before that, Thanksgiving was a period during which slaves would attempt to escape due to the end of the crop season. The Emancipation Proclamation made it legal for formerly enslaved African Americans to gather together and celebrate Thanksgiving.  However, not all viewed the holiday as a time of celebration and hope. Frederick Douglas described the holiday as “[just] another psychological tool used by the oppressor.”  See Thanksgiving Day on Slave Plantations: How Enslaved African Americans Celebrated Thanksgiving.  YouTube -  Life with Dr. Trish Varner Nov. 24, 2021.

For many in the Black community, Thanksgiving is a church-based celebration during which pastors preach about our struggles, hopes, fears, and triumphs. 

On November 30, 1876, Rev. Benjamin Arnett,* (pictured) a well-known minister at Urbana Ohio’s St. Paul A.M.E. Church, gave a stirring sermon that addressed the importance of Thanksgiving but also called on America to treat its free Black citizens with fairness and dignity in the coming years.

“And in America, the battlefield of modern thought, we can trace the footprints of the one and the tracks of the other. So let us use all of our available forces, and especially our young men, and throw them into the conflict of the Right against the Wrong.  Then let the grand Centennial Thanksgiving song be heard and sung in every house of God; and in every home may thanksgiving sounds be heard, for our race has been emancipated, enfranchised and are now educating, and have the gospel preached to them!”

The tradition continues today. On “Thanksgiving Sunday,” Black ministers still preach sermons about our struggles, hopes, fears, and triumphs. They also preach sermons about God's goodness and ask congregants to share God's bountifulness with others. Sunday School children perform and, in some cases, write skits about what Thanksgiving means to them. Many churches serve dinner to members and community residents on Thanksgiving Day.   

In an article by Zsana Hoskins,^**(Howard University News Service)  notes that “Thanksgiving has a tragic history, yet many Black people across the nation still choose to celebrate it in their own way. Some reframe it as a day to spend time with family, while others shop.”   According to an informal poll she conducted for the article, 45 percent of Black respondents, ages 13 to 60, shared that they love celebrating Thanksgiving. One respondent said, “Our culture understands the falsehoods behind the holiday, but we enjoy connecting with family and use it as an opportunity to do so.”

Over the years, the family structure has changed; however, Thanksgiving is still considered a family holiday.  As we enjoy the turkey dinner with all the fixins --- collard greens, candied yams, and grandma’s sweet potato pie --- let’s thank God for his blessings.  Let’s pray for one another and pray for peace in the land.  We can still root for our favorite football teams and “shop until we drop” on Black Friday.

“Thanksgiving isn't meant to be a single day of the year, but a life focused on being grateful.”

Side Note: Yam cultivation stretches back centuries and is deeply intertwined with the traditional foods of African societies. Beyond mere sustenance, yams embody profound cultural significance and reverence. This reverence is reflected in various culinary traditions. In Africa, yams are celebrated in feasts and ceremonies. See, The Black History Origin Of Yams - The Soul Food Pot; thesoulfoodpot.com/black-history-of-yams/

*Rev. Benjamin W. Arnett was an active civil rights proponent and a member of the Pennsylvania State Equal Rights League. He was also a member of the National Convention of Colored Men, and in 1872, he became the first Black man to serve as a foreman for an all-white jury.

**Zsana Hoskins is a freelance writer for The Washington Informer. Her editorial journey includes serving as Associate Editor for Cover 2 Cover Magazine and as a campus reporter for The Hilltop at Howard University.

Reference Sources: Afro News, the Black Media Authority; BlackAmericaWeb.com