By Kathy Durkin
November 16, 2021
The 52nd National Day of Mourning, commemorated by Indigenous peoples and their allies, will be held Thursday, Nov. 25, on the so-called “Thanksgiving” holiday, at Cole’s Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Cole’s Hill is above the city’s historic waterfront district. It will begin at 12 noon sharp.
National Day of Mourning, 2020
This year’s event will be dedicated to “Moonanum James, Bert Waters and others who have returned to the ancestors,” according to the website of the United American Indians of New England. The commemoration will show solidarity with Indigenous struggles around the world and welcomes “all our relations crossed by the U.S. border and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
There will be a march through the city’s historic district. An outdoor speakout will, as always, feature only Native speakers on the program, with messages read from many Indigenous struggles. Organizers ask that participants refrain from eating during the outdoor speakout and march, out of respect for those who are fasting. There will be light box lunches available, but there won’t be a full sit-down social due to the COVID pandemic.
Every participant must wear a mask. It should be emphasized that Indigenous communities have been hit hard by this illness, so safety is of utmost concern. Organizers remind those coming to dress warmly.
This year’s Day of Mourning will be livestreamed from Plymouth, beginning at noon. View the livestream at tinyurl.com/5yza7vm5.
UAINE is not organizing transportation, but a bus will leave at 6 a.m., Nov. 25, from 206 Parkside Ave. in Brooklyn. For more information, email erityepapadesalin@gmail.com or call 347-730-3620.
For Day of Mourning updates, go to facebook.com/groups/UAINE and uaine.org.
PHOTO: Stephanie Tromblay
