Friday, November 25, 2022
Graphic by Rebekah Cleary
Gratitude around the world International Thanksgiving traditions Micah McKamie Staff Reporter
Canada, for example, celebrates roughly in the same way with various meats and extravagant “accoutrement;” but they do it a little bit earlier in the year on the second Monday in October, When most visualize Thanksgiv- probably trying to avoid the inevitable ing, they think turkey, family, football snow to come. Pre-dating our own first and a plethora of other traditions that Thanksgiving by two hundred years, people have all adopted over time. originally it was celebrated as a tradiWe tend to think of this holiday tion by early French explorers. as a way to give thanks for the people These early Canadians would we love and the blessings we have as gather for a hearty meal after arriving well as celebrate the successes of the safe from a long perilous voyage and year with a bountiful meal and famwould give thanks for the safe passage. ily. Around the world, there are only Even though it is a more low key, intia handful of countries that officially mate experience than our usual hubcelebrate Thanksgiving as Americans bub, one thing that is fervently shared do. is Thanksgiving football, in a which
Canadian Football League double header is broadcast nationwide. The tropical islands of Granada and Saint Lucia have their own traditions that occur at the beginning and end of October, respectively. Both celebrate a bountiful harvest but also the end of hurricane season, which if major disaster is avoided is truly a reason for celebration. Outside of ex-patriots gathering for their own celebrations in foreign countries in which they are living, no other nation except Liberia officially recognizes Thanksgiving. Liberia holds its celebrations on the first Thursday of November which the Liberian government established in
1883. One of the more interesting celebrations centered around this grateful holiday is the reading of the Presidential Proclamation reiterating why they celebrate this joyous day. Once an American colony, the Liberian people see this day as a religious holiday, thanking God for his blessing and mercy in aiding these once owned slaves in the creation of their free nation in 1821. Instead of turkey and mashed potatoes being served, one would find a bounty of cassava, jollof rice and chicken among other West African cuisine. See Thanksgiving on 4A
Oklahoma’s ban on books hurts special education Lauryn Thomas, Amelia Jauregui, Esther Niang, Olivia Bloomfield O’Colly contributors Books in Oklahoma schools may be subject to ban and parents are taking action. “If we want to be the change that we want to see in our children’s lives then that first requires us as parents to take action,” said Danielle Johnson, mother of a special education child. “That action is exposing your kids to different cultures, letting them watch the news with you, and simply telling them the truth about history.” The call for parents to take action with educating their students has been especially prominent in discussions about students in special education programs or with specific learning disabilities. This call to action is a
response to Oklahoma’s recent ban on books in primary and secondary public schools. On May 10, 2021, the future of Oklahoma education changed forever when Gov. Kevin Stitt passed House Bill 1775. “This bill prohibits the teaching that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex and ultimately prohibits the reading about it in public schools,” according to OSSBA.org. While the intent of this bill was to create spaces for students to learn without racial bias, according to sde. ok.gov, some educators fear that this bill will blind students to the racial history that has shaped the U.S., ultimately creating a greater learning disadvantage for students. Santa Fe South Alternative Charter School assistant director, Sheila Patton, said the bans will only create more challenges for students in the future. “Many of the events and topics discussed in those
banned books are still happening today whether people choose to believe it or not,” Patton said. “Censoring books creates the biggest disadvantage that any person can have. That disadvantage is ignorance of the real world.” In 2016, 39,786 children were identified with special learning disabilities in Oklahoma, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. The children accounted for the largest of 13 disability categories covered under special education law. The student to faculty ratio is off, too. While 16% of Oklahoma students, which is above the national average, needed special education services from 2016-2017, the state only employed 3,450 special education teachers with little signs of an increase in 2022, according to The Stillwater News Press.
See Books on 6A
Courtesy of Tribune News Service Black Friday deals arise from all over the country to mark the start of the Christmas shopping season.
Obscure Black Friday deals begin the holiday season Micah McKamie Staff Reporter Let the chaos begin. Every year hours after people have stuffed themselves with meat and carbs, masses form around the United States take part in a grand tradition that found its beginnings in the early 1950’s. I am referring to Black Friday. The phrase was first coined in a mechanical journal and referred to the practice of people calling in sick the day
after Thanksgiving to get a four-day weekend, but it quickly would be used in reference to this infamous shopping day. Every year stores mark down prices to spur an apocalyptic environment in which consumers make a mad dash for their desired items in a celebrity death match sort of way. This results in desired outcomes not being accomplished and only coming out of the situation with a hand full of hair and a misdemeanor for assault. See Black Friday on 3A