|
Thanksgiving.
The image of Native Americans and Pilgrims sharing the harvest bounty is familiar, but like much of our revisionist U.S. history, untrue. But in spite of its dubious genesis, the idea of a national day of thanks is a noble one. And so this week many of us will gather with our family and friends to celebrate all for which we are thankful.
In that spirit of gratitude we at the San Francisco Mime Troupe wish to send out some thanks of our own.
First is a list of just a few of the many comrades who have inspired us with their legacy of activism.
We are thankful for and want to give thanks to:
- The comrades who struggled against oppression at the Haymarket in Chicago, 1886, and whose bravery inspired workers around the world to create May Day as International workers Day.
- The women of the 1912 Lawrence Textile strike, who left us a legacy of fighting for Bread, and Roses, too.
- The men and women who valiantly defied their own government and put their lives on the line to fight Fascism in Spain in '36
- Dr. King, and to those who put their bodies on the line in the name of civil rights.
- Cesar Chavez - for giving a voice to the farm workers.
- The millions who have marched - and continue to march - against wars.
- The Native Americans who chose to spend Thanksgiving 1969 occupying Alcatraz to draw attention to their mistreatment by U.S. policy and broken treaties.
- The famous and the anonymous who continue to work selflessly on behalf of human rights, for women and their reproductive rights, for the poor, the homeless and disabled, while championing healthcare and education for all.
- Those who recognize the fragility of our beautiful planet, who work to sustain and repair it while teaching our children how to respect it. We thank all who have fought and continue to fight the good fight.
- And a special thank you to all you Occupiers everywhere and to the movement you have reignited! Thanks to those who dared to stand against tyranny, whether across the ocean, across town or across campus.
We are especially grateful to you, our audience and friends, for supporting our work with your presence in the parks and theaters of our communities for 52 years. Together, through laughter and song, we form a conspiracy of optimism working towards a fair and better future, one that will make our children thankful.
In Solidarity and With Graditude,
The San Francisco Mime Troupe Collective and Staff
|
