Events
The Committee for IPD Wellesley, World of Wellesley and Equal Justice in Needham for Families are excited to announce our virtual event: Myth Busting Thanksgiving on November 22, 2021 at 7:00PM EST! Kisha James (Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah and Oglala Lakota) will be debunking the settler narrative of Thanksgiving that remains pervasive in our classrooms and communities. The presentation will be followed by a live Q&A.
Automatic captions will be provided. This event is not appropriate for children.
Kisha James is an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and Oglala Lakota. She is a youth organizer and archivist for United American Indians of New England (UAINE) and a youth organizer for the statewide MA Indigenous Peoples Day campaign. Kisha is the granddaughter of Wamsutta Frank James, the Aquinnah Wampanoag man who started the National Day of Mourning protest in 1970. His famous suppressed speech, which was the catalyst for the first National Day of Mourning, has been regularly cited in “great speeches” anthologies and is read in classrooms nationwide every Thanksgiving. Kisha now co-leads the organizing efforts for the National Day of Mourning. She regularly gives speeches to public groups, private organizations, and classrooms across New England and the U.S. as a whole around rethinking the Thanksgiving myth.
We are so excited to be sponsoring Equal Justice in Needham for Families’ storytime event on Indigenous Peoples Day, October 11, along with Wellesley Free Library! New York Times bestselling author Carole Lindstrom (Anishinaabe/Metis, enrolled with Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) will be reading her children’s book We Are Water Protectors inspired by Standing Rock and all Indigenous Peoples fighting for clean water. The reading will be followed by an interactive Q&A and activities to learn about ways to protect the Earth and our waters in everyday life. The event will be held on Zoom and will have ASL interpretation.
The Committee for Indigenous Peoples Day Wellesley (WOW) and the Wellesley Public Library are excited to announce Wellesley’s first event to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day this year! This virtual event will feature Larry Spotted Crow Mann of the Nipmuc tribe detailing the untold history of what is presently called Massachusetts and why Indigenous Peoples Day should be a national day of remembrance, education and celebration. Be sure to register in advance as spaces are limited!
The livestream and pre-recorded content for the National Day of Mourning on November 26 can be viewed beginning at approximately 12 noon EST via the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) website, at the UAINE facebook group, on Youtube, and at the hate5six website.
If you plan to have your students learn and write about Thanksgiving, this webinar will help you teach this topic with greater accuracy and sensitivity. Kisha James, enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gayhead Aquinnah and Oglala Lakota and the grand-daughter of Wamsutta James, will cover common myths. Dr. Debbie Reese, tribally enrolled, Nambé Pueblo, will share recommendations for books and curricular materials. Hear advice on materials selection and suggestions for teaching Thanksgiving with cultural sensitivity. See examples of possible Thanksgiving writing tasks, and hear them critiqued.
This event is offered by our partners.
Please join us for a short film presenting Lyla June, an Indigenous environmental scientist, educator, community organizer and musician. Lyla June, who is of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineage is from Taos New Mexico. She inspires personal, collective and ecological healing through her multi-genre presentations on the topics of climate crisis, Indigenous rights, inter-cultural healing, and traditional land stewardship practices. After the short film there will be a community discussion.
Let’s honor Mother Earth by working together to clean up our town!
Please join the World of Wellesley in honoring Indigenous Peoples Day with a children and family event that will explore Indigenous culture, traditions, and history. Professional educator Claudia Fox Tree, M.Ed. (Arawak/Yurumein), will lead our engagement together with a presentation centered on Native American (First Nations People) identity, culture, and history. Indigenous food options and pizza will be served. Opening ceremony begins at 11:00 AM. FREE and open to the public.
See video clips and photos from this event.
The World of Wellesley invites the community to join for this special presentation.
Annawon Weeden explains that “Wampanoag means ‘People of the First Light’ due to our geographic location as the furthest eastern tribe.” Born and raised in the tribal community of Charlestown, R.I., among relatives of both Narragansett/Pequot lineage through his father, Annawon now resides in his mother’s Wampanoag community in Mashpee. Following in his father’s footsteps, Annawon began sharing the culture of his tribes with his family during public programs and performances at a young age. As an adult, Annawon’s passion for preserving the culture has been clear throughout decades spent working at Plymouth Plantation as a museum interpreter and outreach educator, as well as the Boston Children’s Museum as a Native program specialist. He has also been invited to visit Wellesley Public Schools over 20 times.
This program is free and open to the public, made possible by Wellesley business sponsors in this year’s program book. Pre-registration is encouraged.
Please bring your family and neighbors for a walk honoring Mother Earth and clean-up around the pond. We will meet at Longfellow Pond on Oakland Street (parking lot by the pond) and decide the route together. All supplies will be available including gloves and bags.
Co-Sponsored by Sustainable Wellesley.
