Committee of 500 Years logo Committee of 500 YearsIndigenous history, advocacy and the long work of justice.

Thanksgiving and the Narrative We Were Given

The version of Thanksgiving most Americans grow up with depicts a harmonious 1621 harvest feast shared between Pilgrim settlers and Wampanoag people at Plymouth Colony. Children are dressed as one or the other in school plays.

JRJames ReedSep 16, 2026History
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A historical illustration of the first Thanksgiving examined critically alongside Indigenous perspectives

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Abandoned uranium mine infrastructure on arid land near a Native American reservation Environment

Uranium: The Demon Mineral

The story of uranium on Indigenous land is inseparable from the story of the United States nuclear weapons programme.

Sarah OkaforSep 16, 20265 min read
A timeline exhibit tracing five hundred years of Indigenous history in North America History

The 500 Years That Shaped Today

One of the most persistent obstacles to a clear public understanding of Indigenous issues in the United States is the tendency...

James ReedSep 16, 20265 min read
Indigenous Peoples Day signage at a public gathering replacing Columbus Day commemoration History

What Columbus Day Gets Wrong

There is a version of the Columbus Day debate that treats it as a conflict between Italian-American heritage pride and...

James ReedSep 16, 20265 min read

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