Dear John,

All of us at Maine Conservation Voters are full of gratitude – today and everyday – for your support of our work to create a safe, equitable, and healthy environment and a sound democracy for all people in Maine.

During this time of the year, as we look back on the conservation and climate successes of the past year, we especially want to recognize the indigenous peoples who were born from this land from time immemorial and have since lived in what we now call Maine. We recognize that we now inhabit unceded Wabanaki land, where the sovereign people of the Mi’kmaq, the Maliseet, Passamaquoddy & Penobscot Nations, including the Abenaki and other indigenous peoples, have lived for millennia.

While “Thanksgiving” is a day of celebration for many, it is also a symbol of the painful reality of colonization. The United American Indians of New England¹ renamed Thanksgiving as the “National Day of Mourning.” Many of the privileges we enjoy today have a foundation built on thefts of land, resources, and acts of genocidal assimilation, including theft of children, culture and the denial of self-determination of this land’s First Peoples.

Every day — but on “Thanksgiving” especially — we mourn the lives that were and continue to be tragically impacted and/or taken as a result of colonization and honor the resilience of the Wabanaki and all indigenous people.

These historical injustices against indigenous peoples continue today. We must stand in solidarity with the Wabanaki Nations – and celebrate this as a new day of recognition, understanding and support, while expressing gratitude that many people like you are joining this movement, working to address past injustices and build a better future for all – everyday, all year round. Please join us in rethinking “Thanksgiving,” considering how you can give back and the positive actions you can take to support Wabanaki rights to self-determination.

Here are two things you can do today:

Donate to the Wabanaki Alliance: The Wabanaki Alliance was formed by the tribes in Maine to advocate for policies that improve the lives of tribal citizens and their neighbors around the state. The Wabanaki Alliance has been the leading organization in the effort to recognize the inherent sovereignty of the Wabanaki Nations at the state and federal levels. Learn more about that effort here.
Donate to Wabanaki REACH: Wabanaki REACH does incredible work elevating Wabanaki voices and taking action for Wabanaki self-determination. Take a look at this beautiful poem, “Thanksgiving Revisited,” by Passamaquoddy and Scotch poet Crow Suncloud.

To build a better future for all, let’s re-examine our traditions and take action to create a thriving environment and just society. In doing so, we continue the work of healing our communities and fulfilling our vision for a better world.

With gratitude from all of us here at MCV,

Team MCV - Beth, Chloe, Gina, Kathleen, Kelt, Maggie, Maureen, Meghan, Nick, Rani, & Stacie