But “Black folks,” suggests Coard, shouldn’t refrain from celebrating Thanksgiving. Only racist white people.

“Despite the horrific foundation of white Thanksgiving, I’m certainly not suggesting that Black folks not chill out on November 25 by socializing, eating, and drinking with family members and loved ones. In fact, Black folks should do all of that because it’s important for us to come together to always celebrate love–but never to celebrate racist genocide.”

I wonder if Coard knows that some Native Americans owned black slaves? Or that in 2011, the Cherokee Nation stripped tribal citizenship from the black descendants of those slaves?

John Ross, Cherokee chief and slave owner. Wikimedia Commons/public domain.

Forget about it. Coard hates white people with a passion, so it’s more important to heap guilt upon them.

Not to be outdone, however, MSNBC ratcheted up the anti-American sentiment with a tirade from activist Gyasi Ross. Ross combined both black and Native American grievances into one tirade:

“From Ahmaud Arbery to Trayvon Martin, white Americans are still killing Native and black Americans with no fear of reprisal.”

Really? Then how did Travis McMichael, George McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan find themselves convicted of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery?

Never mind that. Ross has a narrative to flog:

Even a four year old tweet from the nitwits at Teen Vogue was trotted out. Here we see three Native American girls overturn a faux Thanksgiving table. One of them claims that when “these European settlers” would wipe out entire villages, they’d call it “Thanksgiving.” That, apparently, is where the term originated. At least that’s what she heard when she was growing up.

Kind of like when Elizabeth Warren heard that she was Cherokee when she was young, right?

These Native American girls remind us of the real history behind Thanksgiving. We won't forget the genocide of Native American people. Today we remember the families that were slain and we’re thankful for those who continue to persevere the truth of our history. pic.twitter.com/sbT2pfamiU

— BLACK GIRLS ROCK! (@BLACKGIRLSROCK) November 23, 2017

Now let’s be honest here: the history of Native Americans and white settlers is not one of the Good Guys vs. the Bad Guys. The treatment of Native Americans by settlers and by the federal government was complex, and too often horrific. However, Native Americans committed their share of atrocities against whites, too. There was plenty of guilt on both sides.

But let’s also see reality through the lens of history: civilization is replete with the conquest of people of different tribes and nationalities. The uncomfortable truth is that it’s been part of the human condition. Even among hated white Europeans.

There are fascinating videos on YouTube which show how Europeans have conquered each other over the centuries. In the video below you can watch how the Roman Empire swallowed up tribes and lands throughout Europe. But when Rome fell, all bets were off. The continent was then wracked by constant wars, and people suffered as a result. Yes, white people suffered.

Well, of course! White people are always killing each other and “stealing lands,” right?

Ever hear of Genghis Khan? The Muslim Ottoman Empire? The Aztec Empire? The fact is, all peoples at some time or another have been conquerors, and sometimes they have been the conquered. For us Christians, it’s because of mankind’s sinful nature.

But the radical Left doesn’t seem to understand either history or faith. Or perhaps they don’t care. After all, both get in the way of heaping guilt upon traditional Americans, don’t they?

Melanie Kirkpatrick of the Hudson Institute penned a thoughtful commentary at the Wall Street Journal about Thanksgiving. On this most American of holidays, she wrote, radical ideologues are ignoring the two most important parts of the holiday: gratitude and God. And while we also honor the Pilgrims who came to America, we can honor the contributions of Native Americans, too.

Kirkpatrick concluded:

“We will express our gratitude with acts of hospitality and charity. Many of us will offer prayers of thanks to the Almighty, however we define him. In so doing, we will be following in the footsteps of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, while rejecting the campaign to rewrite Thanksgiving’s history.”

On this Thanksgiving, I will refuse that heaping plate of guilt that the Left wants to serve me. Let them drink their own bitter tears. Instead, I will offer my thanks to God for leading my ancestors to the shores of this nation, and for the love of the family who joins me at the feast.

Featured image: Deb Nystrom/flickr/cropped/CC BY 2.0.