Thanksgiving Resources that Honor America’s First Peoples

Empowering Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in 2022.

 
 

Did you know that November is National Native American Heritage Month? 

One Spirit Learning Alliance is based in Lenapehoking, the ancestral home of the Lenape People, and our staff, students, and graduates live and work on the lands of many indigenous tribes and nations throughout the world. Due to the ravages of colonialism, genocide, and forced relocation, the Lenape People are currently dispersed throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the United States recognizes 574 indigenous tribes and nations within its borders, all survivors of colonial oppression and displacement, all enduringly connected to their ancestral lands. 

As the National Congress of American Indians writes, “[This] month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.”

With this in mind, we share below (and on our website) some practices and resources, and we hope you find them as rich as we do.  


Sacred Practice: Acknowledging the Land

To serve the creation of a better future, we need to understand the complex history that has led to us residing on the land we inhabit. But we must also examine our place within that history in the present day, for colonialism hasn’t ended: it’s an ongoing process, still alive in our systems and culture. Acknowledging the Land is one way we can increase our mindfulness of Indigenous Peoples and their enduring relationship with their traditional territories. 

Additional Resources to Celebrate Indigenous People and Culture

Empowering Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in 2022

Though the study of indigenous wisdom has been foundational to One Spirit’s training programs, we have sometimes fallen short through cultural appropriation, inadequate representation, and hesitancy to translate learning into action. However, as part of our antiracism efforts, we are currently taking action to disrupt and dismantle white supremacy and become better ancestors for future generations. 

  • Decolonizing the Curriculum: All programs are being reviewed and reoriented to study world religions and indigenous culture without the historical filter of the white gaze. 

  • Fair Share Tuition: We have overhauled tuition structures to attract a more economically diverse student body, including reserving 50% of the most discounted tuition tier for BIPOC students. 

  • New Voices: We’re examining engagement and hiring practices to bring new voices into our classrooms from a wider variety of ancestral perspectives.

  • Admissions: We are exploring ways to reach out to BIPOC communities and attract a more diverse student body to One Spirit’s events and programs.  

  • Staff Training: All staff are receiving continuing education about systemic racism and the skills needed to facilitate experiences of true belonging for all students in our classrooms.

  • Graduate Training: All grads will be invited to free post-graduate training so they may become better allies and join in sacred service that disrupts and dismantles white supremacy.

  • Organizational structure: External consultants are performing an inventory of One Spirit’s structures, policies, and practices to ensure they reflect and empower our antiracism work and support a diverse workforce and community.

If you are moved to contribute to this amazing work, a handful of generous donors have pledged to double any gifts you make this season, up to $29,000. 

Celebrate the Holidays with One Spirit

  • Join us for our annual Holiday Celebration on December 16th at 7PM to help us amplify and channel the energy of our antiracist work. 

  • Gift a Free Application to a Friend with the code LUMINOUS – Please tell your friends and family about our new tuition structure and encourage them to apply! 

In the spirit of American Thanksgiving, we thank you for being a vital part of our community. We are humbled and grateful for the work we have done over the past year and for the work we have yet to do as we grow into becoming an antiracist spiritual organization. 

Thank you for your messages of support and for sharing our vision. 

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One Spirit’s Antiracism Efforts

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