This Thanksgiving is going to be unlike any other—that much we know for sure. While some are just looking forward to their mom's homemade mashed potatoes, others are dreading the inevitable debate with their Uncle Tom about how good Trump will be for the "hardworking middle class" (this has yet to be determined). But there is one current event that should be a topic of discussion at every Thanksgiving dinner this year—the Dakota Access Pipeline.
On the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, tribes and their alliances have gathered to protest the construction of a 1, 172-mile oil pipeline which is projected to stretch from North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois.
According to one source, "The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe opposes the pipeline because they say the route crosses sacred sites and burial places, and they are concerned that if the pipeline ruptures, an oil spill could pollute drinking water."
The New York Times states the pipeline is "a $3.7 billion project that would carry 470,000 barrels of oil a day from the oil fields of western North Dakota to Illinois, where it would be linked with other pipelines."
Tensions between the protestors, the oil company, and the county police have continued to rise in recent months.
The Standing Rock Reservation has turned into a battlefield of sorts—from the use of concussion grenades on protestors to water hoses in freezing temperatures. And the fight continues, even as we approach Thanksgiving.
I'm not sure what upsets me more—the fact that we are almost 400 years removed from the origins of "Thanksgiving" and the Native American people still have to fight for the little they have left, or that so many people remain blissfully unaware of it.
So what can you do? How can you make a difference before taking turns around the table announcing what you're thankful for? You can turn your good intentions into actions by donating money for cause or supplies for those on the frontlines. There is no shortage of things you can do as you sit around your Thanksgiving table while others are spending theirs fighting for their sacred land.