Thanksgiving

Contrary to popular opinion, Thanksgiving wasn’t always about the immigrant Pilgrims. It wasn’t until the 1900s that the old New England holiday for thanking God and feasting with family had become the holiday we know today. Karin Goldstein, curator of original collections at Plimoth Plantation (in Plymouth, Massachusets), says the transformation didn’t take hold until the late 1800s, when a flood of newcomers arrived from eastern and southern Europe with different languages, religions and customs. How could these newcomers be taught how to become good Americans? The answer was found in the past. The Pilgrims, as early immigrants, were looked at as prototypes for newcomers—and their feast with the Indians was the stuff of legend. Slowly, their story and Thanksgiving melded, and November became the time to teach immigrants and schoolchildren about America—and the notion of e pluribus unum (out of many, one).

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, it’s a good time to reflect upon the importance of immigration and what it has meant to our country. This 2005 Trendsetters Issue is full of such reminders, whether it’s the story of mega-builder Jorge Pérez (p. 36), hip writer Alisa Valdés-Rodríguez (p. 34), high-tech chef Homaro Cantú (p. 30) or producer-turned-entrepreneur Moctesuma Esparza (p. 38). Then there are the remarkable achievements of Milka Duno (p.22) and New York politician Freddy Ferrer (p.18)—both racing for even greater successes in America, albeit in completely different venues.

As former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani once said, the story of Thanksgiving teaches us that the true test of being an American is not your ethnic background, religion, or race, but whether you believe that “all men are created equal.” If you live by that principle—whether you have your turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy or arroz con frijoles—you are an American.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Joe Vidueira, Editor