Pride Center of Vermont is closed Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th to allow our staff to rest, recharge, and spend time with their loved ones. This closure coincides with the national holiday known as Thanksgiving. We recognize the history and continued harms of colonialism and white supremacy represented by this holiday, and reaffirm our belief that in order for us to heal as a collective we must not only honor and acknowledge the history of the land that we are on, but actively work towards building solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and communities in our area and across the globe.
We encourage you to join us in our learning journey and use some of your time today to learn more about the Indigenous communities in Vermont and beyond. Here are just some of the resources that we are digging into:
National Day of Mourning – Since 1970, Indigenous people & their allies have gathered at noon on Cole’s Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the US Thanksgiving holiday. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest against the racism and oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience worldwide.
Alnôbaiwi (The Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center), is a non-profit dedicated to preserving and sharing Vermont Abenaki heritage through preservation and living history, located at the Ethan Allen Homestead.
The Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe website has a great teaching page with lots of resources for learning more about Abenaki culture both historical and current. Scroll down for a couple of super cool videos of local history and storytelling, including the Abenaki story of Odzihozo a.k.a. Champ!
The National Film Board of Canada has a website of Indigenous cinema that is free to watch, with shorts and full length films.
The Everytown Project: The primary goal of this project is to place at least one parcel of land in every town in Vermont permanently in trust for stewardship and access for Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color (BIPOC).
NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building and narrative change.