Thanksgiving

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Advances Healing and Justice for Indigenous Peoples

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On Friday, Oct. 25, at Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, President Joseph Biden delivered a formal apology on behalf of the United States to an assembly of Native American leaders for the genocidal impact of 150 years of U.S. Indian boarding schools, which sought to erase Indigenous people, culture and languages.

“I formally apologize as president of the United States of America for what we did,” said President Biden. “It’s long overdue.”

This apology came as a result of years of work by Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo. The U.S. Department of the Interior oversees U.S. relations to American Indians, Native Alaskans and Native Hawaiians.

Expanding the Federal Judiciary Is Not About ‘Packing’ the Courts—It’s About *Saving* Them

The Senate’s set to leave for the year on Dec. 15. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has urged his Senate colleagues to treat judicial nominations as a priority and to prepare “to stay in Washington until we finish our work.” (Trump had confirmed 187 judges by the end of 2019. President Joe Biden had secured 153 as of Thanksgiving.)

But it’s not enough to confirm nominees to the seats that exist; we need to expand the courts. Here’s the case for expanding the federal judiciary.

How to Have Effective Conversations About Abortion at Family Gatherings

Even though I work to advance reproductive rights for a living, it can still be incredibly difficult to have meaningful conversations with them about abortion. I know it’s going to come up, though, and I need to be prepared.

Open, civil dialogue is the best way to make your voice heard and hopefully change hearts, minds and cultures. We must arm ourselves with facts, and not automatically write people off. Here’s what else I’m keeping in mind as I go into holiday gatherings with my family.

Where Are the Voices of Indigenous Peoples in the Thanksgiving Story?

The Thanksgiving story many of us grew up learning in school neglects the voices and experiences of the Indigenous nations whose lands were invaded by Europeans, including the Pilgrims.

How do state-mandated history standards represent Indigenous peoples in social studies education? In this season of “Thanksgiving,” should we revise curriculums to be more accurate and culturally relevant?