43rd National Day of Mourning

United American Indians of New England Commemorate a National Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving

By Simon Moya-SmithFor the past 42 years, members and supporters of the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) have assembled every Thanksgiving at Cole’s Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to commemorate a National Day of Mourning.

Established in 1970, the National Day of Mourning aims to publically combat the erroneous stories and miscomprehensions engulfing the First Thanksgiving. Born as the result of “the suppression of the truth,” according to UAINE’s website, the day is also meant to mourn the loss of the millions of American Indians who have died as a result of European settlement.

This year’s 43rd commemoration, scheduled for noon Thursday, is dedicated to American Indian Movement leader and political prisoner Leonard Peltier. Peltier, whose next parole hearing is scheduled for 2024, has been in various federal penitentiaries since his first-degree murder conviction in 1977.

Moonanum James, UAINE co-leader, and a member of the Wampanoag Nation, said that Peltier has sent UAINE a statement to be read at the rally every year since the 1980s.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Occupiers Join National Day of Mourning and 42nd National Day of Mourning.

Below:  "National Day of Mourning plaque on Cole's Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts."