Author and attorney Gyasi Ross savagely attacked Thanksgiving, demanding white Americans “return the land” taken and claiming they developed myths to feel good about themselves when in reality they brought “genocide and violence” to natives. Ross says whites fearlessly kill Native and black Americans today through “state-sponsored violence” against minorities and modern slavery through imprisonment, and says the celebration of “white supremacy” continues to plague the country.
Appearing on MSNBC’s The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross on Saturday, Ross’ segment, titled “The Thanksgiving history you’ve never heard,” saw the advocate for Native peoples discuss the “myths around Thanksgiving” as well as what the national holiday should mean for blacks and indigenous communities today.
Ross, who is of Native American ancestry, is a member of the Blackfeet Nation and the Suquamish Nation and has a penchant for storytelling.
Introducing him as a Cross Connection “favorite” and personal friend, Cross said Ross was there to deliver “the real story of Thanksgiving” as well as some history “you probably never read in your school books. “
Claiming the “mythology of Thanksgiving closely mirrors the mythology of America,” Ross said such mythology is merely “the image that white Americans love to see of themselves.”
“White settlers come to a strange land in good faith, bringing something of great value that enriches the people who are already here [while] the natives also bring something of immense value,” he said. “Equal exchange.”
“That closely mimics the mythology of white America,” he added. “It is how America wants to see itself.”
Yet, according to Ross, the reality of Thanksgiving is “much different.”
“The truth is pilgrims did not bring turkey, sweet potato pie, or cranberries to Thanksgiving,” he said.
“They could not,” he claimed, adding “they were broke; they were broken; their hands were out; they were begging; they brought nothing of value.”
Stating Thanksgiving was understandable because “there is much for white Americans to be thankful for,” Ross expressed uncertainty over what indigenous people gained.
“I’m still trying to figure out what indigenous people received of value,” he said. “Instead of bringing stuffing and biscuits, those settlers brought genocide and violence.”
Ross claimed such brutality is still rampant throughout America, as he accused the country of “state-sponsored violence” against minorities.
“That genocide and violence is still on the menu as state-sponsored violence against Native and black Americans is commonplace and violent private white supremacy is celebrated and subsidized,” he said.
He then listed the names of a handful of victims of fatal encounters between minorities and police that occurred over the last decade, claiming white Americans continue to fearlessly kill minorities.
“From Stonechild Chiefstick to Mike Brown to Renee Davis to Breonna Taylor to Eric Garner, indigenous and black people are still being murdered by those paid to protect us,” he said. “From Ahmad Arbery to Trayvon Martin, white Americans are still killing Native and black Americans with no fear of reprisal.”
Ross, who is also a lawyer, filmmaker, and rapper, accused America of perpetuating slavery through “disparate” imprisonment of minorities.
“They brought chattel slavery to Africans and Native people that still happens through the prison industrial complex that imprisons the descendants of enslaved Africans and natives at far disparate numbers,” he said.
“That is the reality of Thanksgiving,” he added.
Claiming that many continue to wait “for white Americans to bring some value,” Ross demanded America live up to its ideals while paying reparations for the theft of native land, labor, and children.
“Still waiting for white America to match the mythology of Thanksgiving: freedom, justice, equality, reparations for two and a half billion acres of stolen native land, reparations for 246 years of stolen labor, reparations for stealing native children,” he said.
He concluded by calling to “stop the killing” and “theft” which is “still happening.”
“Return the land; match the mythology,” he said. “Then, and only then, we can all be equally thankful.”
In response, prominent voices took to social media criticizing MSNBC and the “anti-American” message it broadcast.
“@msnbc corporate message: Thanksgiving sucks,” wrote Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).
“Come for the lies; stay for the anti-American hate,” he added.
“They’re coming for Thanksgiving,” wrote Erielle Davidson, senior policy analyst at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.
“Nothing is sacred to the left,” she added. “It must all be burned down.”
“Don’t tell us there’s no hate-America faction in U.S. media,” veteran national and foreign correspondent Andrew Malcolm wrote.
“Nothing like some revisionist history to shame white people on Thanksgiving,” the Conservative Tribune tweeted.
“Leave it to @MSNBC to try to steal the joy out of #Thanksgiving by trying to shame white people,” author Randy DeSoto wrote.
“This MSNBC Thanksgiving message is brought to you by the same people that tell you CRT is just about ‘teaching accurate history,’” wrote Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC).
The attack on Thanksgiving comes as many on the left continue to depict American culture, heritage, and institutions as inherently racist.
On Wednesday, the ACLU of Washington shared a post referring to the first Thanksgiving as a “celebration of murder.”
On Tuesday, radio host and columnist Michael Coard published an essay stating, “Celebrating Thanksgiving is celebrating racist genocide.”
Earlier this month, Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, a cofounder of critical race theory (CRT), urged youth to “understand the ground upon which we stand is ground that’s soaked in blood of theft.”
Last month, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich attacked Columbus Day, slamming his “backward” hometown for marking the day while accusing the famed 15th-century explorer of initiating a “new world genocide” and branding Italian-American support for honoring the day akin to Germans “proud of Hitler.”
In July, the Nation published an essay accusing Americans celebrating Independence Day of failing to “reckon with the fact that the founders of our nation were colonizers,” adding that the U.S. has “rarely lived up to ideals.”
Last year, the official YouTube account on Twitter celebrated what it called “Unthanksgiving,” an obscure holiday the far-left platform claims is meant to honor “indigenous resistance.”
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein