Mark Charles Discusses Thanksgiving at NOVA LO Event

This time of year has come to represent a time of giving thanks. Many of us enjoy the days off to spend time with family and friends, enjoy a delicious meal, and intentionally think about the things that fill our hearts with gratitude. I’m thankful for my family and other communities. I’m thankful to be gainfully employed. I’m thankful for health, food, shelter and transportation. I’m thankful for time to rest, and for the way my 6-year-old makes me laugh so hard my stomach hurts. The list goes on, as I’m sure yours does too.

Last week, Mark Charles visited NOVA’s Loudoun campus. Mark is a man with Indigenous roots who passionately shared about the history of his people. He encouraged us to shift some of the paradigms that were instilled in us about the Declaration of Independence, Native American history, Abraham Lincoln and, of course, Thanksgiving. It was a powerful presentation that complicated my understanding of the Thanksgiving holiday and its origins. It’s one of those talks that sticks with you long after the event is over and comes up regularly in conversation with others who were there. It also sparked a healthy curiosity in me to learn more.

The video of Mark Charles’ talk is now freely available to all NOVA staff, faculty, and students, just in time for our Thanksgiving break. I encourage you to take one hour and sit with Mark’s engaging presentation as a means of listening to a Native voice and honoring this Thanksgiving holiday.

To access Mark’s presentation, with captioning, please visit https://online.nvcc.edu/videoservices/. Click “Panopto,” log in with your MyNOVA account and search “DEI.”

I’m still going to eat the meal and give thanks next week, and I’m also thinking through ways I can honor the day more mindfully. If you’ve been challenged by Mark’s words and want to talk about it with someone, contact Sherrene in the Office of DEI: sdelong@nvcc.edu.

Submitted by:
Sherrene DeLong, DEI Events Coord., SDeLong@nvcc.edu