With some generous help from a friend and the community at large, I’ve been collecting donated bicycles and caching used parts sales money to fund the repair and distribution of free used bicycles to those in need. We are working on a giveaway in December at an apartment complex here in Gloucester- More details on this once it’s confirmed!
In the meantime, in hopes of raising awareness of the origins of Thanksgiving, I’d like to extend the rehab and redistribute offer to anyone of Native American descent on Cape Ann. Please reach out if you or members of your family would like to snag a free bike! 334-BIKES-34 or BigMikesBikes@gmail.com
Tomorrow, as hundreds of millions of americans sit down to feast on this National Day Of Mourning, I hope we can all simultaneously celebrate gratitude for what each of us has *and* remember the price that has been paid for it. To consider what it means, as a representative of our society, to have virtually eradicated and systematically oppressed an entire culture of people over the generations. To recognize that the kind of wisdom European Settlers cleansed from this land is the *exact* kind of medicine our society needs to survive today, in the face of global warming and many other battles. We can’t change what’s happened in the past, but we can build a bridge to a brighter future by having open, mindful discourse, and a more inclusive perspective on holidays such as these.
Some reading on this subject, if you are so inclined:
- 6 Things Every Non-Native Should Do On Thanksgiving
- https://capeannhistory.org/
- https://historicipswich.org/native-americans-of-the-massachusetts-north-shore/
- http://www.indigenouspeoplesdayma.org/
- http://www.uaine.org/
Thanks for listening =)
— Mike