At work the other day, we were having a conversation about American Thanksgiving Day. One of my African-American friends was telling me that Thanksgiving Day at their house is the “Food Olympics.” Family members are requested to bring certain dishes that they expertly cook to their annual family banquet of well-seasoned, colorful food. This is not a time to try out a new recipe – this is the meal where you bring well-loved family favorites. As a white guy my experience is rather different. Thanksgiving for me was very different. I grew up in a family culture where more modest, seasonal foods are the norm, while people with ties to more recent immigrant roots mix dishes and flavors from many cultures to the food that graces their tables. And it isn’t just the food – there are many traditions we use to give thanks. I have a Navajo friend who starts Thanksgiving mornings burning sage, cedar, tobacco and sweetgrass to thank Creator for all things. In my family, we go around the table and everyone present thanks God for something they are particularly grateful for before we share our meal together. Thanksgiving looks very different, depending on who is giving thanks.

Our multiethnic team of Christian antiracism educators and friends sit down to talk about some of our Thanksgiving Day memories in this holiday episode.