A few weeks back, folks were debating whether it was Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day—depending on which news channel you watched or which podcast told you to be mad that morning. But now that we’re rolling toward Thanksgiving, maybe it’s time to step back and look at what all these “days” are really trying to teach us.
Columbus Day actually started as a way to ease tensions back in the 1800s when Italian immigrants were being mistreated. I might’ve gone with Frank Sinatra or Super Mario instead (that game still whoops me), but we got Columbus. And without Italian culture, we wouldn’t have pizza, spaghetti, or Rocky Balboa reminding us it’s “not about how hard you hit—it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Amen, Rocky.
At the same time, Indigenous Peoples’ Day reminds us to honor the people who first called this land home. One of my favorite spots in South Carolina is God’s Acre Healing Springs in Blackville—a sacred space the Native peoples protected long before we started arguing on social media. They taught us how to use the land wisely, how to find healing in what grows around us, and yes, how to use pumpkins. Which means, without them, no pumpkin spice.
You’re welcome, Starbucks lovers.
The bigger point? We’ve gotten so caught up fighting over our differences that we’ve forgotten how to be neighbors. Are we even neighbors anymore—or just people who live near each other with better Wi-Fi and louder opinions?
This Thanksgiving, let’s get back to being neighborly. Talk to someone who’s different. Share a meal. Listen before responding. You might find out you’ve got more in common than you thought. Down here in the South, that usually starts with food anyway.
So whether you’re Team Turkey or Team Tofurky, Team Columbus or Team Indigenous, remember this: we’re all still here—trying to move forward together.
But hey, what do I know? I’m just a comedian pretending to be a public school teacher—who’ll probably be asking you a year from now to vote for him.
