November 18, 2021

In her 2009 TED Talk, novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the dangers of telling a single story. “Stories matter,” she says. “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and malign. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people but stories can also repair that broken dignity.”

The myth of Thanksgiving is a single story, and we as a society have only begun to recognize and dismantle the harm that it has done. But this does not mean that we should stop telling stories. To the contrary, we must all continue to tell our unique stories so that we may create a more layered and nuanced understanding of who we are. Today, as we enter into the Thanksgiving Break, I would like to share a story of my own, to give you a small glimpse into who I am and what I will be thinking about in the days ahead.

Growing up in Haiti, few people celebrated the holiday of Thanksgiving, but my American mother, who was Mennonite, loved to observe the day, as it was a moment for her to do three things she loved: give thanks, celebrate in fellowship, and share traditional food from her home in Lancaster, PA.

The first challenge was always locating cranberries. At that time, there were no grocery stores in Port-au-Prince that carried them, so we would have to think ahead and ask anyone who might be traveling from the U.S. to bring along a few cans of sauce in their luggage. The next hurdle would be finding one or two local turkeys at a time of year when they were not readily available. And even if we did get the birds, they usually arrived at our home alive, a notion that horrified my animal rights activist and vegetarian sister.

Following the food challenges was figuring how many people we could fit in our home for dinner. My mother's priority was to first extend the invitation to expats who were homesick and needed a menu and meal from home. Once she had that list lined up, it would then dictate how many spots were left for my brother, sister and me to invite friends. As you might imagine, it was a big deal amongst our peers to be invited on a school day to the Frederique’s to participate in this American tradition.

Fast forward twenty-six years to my first Thanksgiving in the U.S. I had recently arrived in Pittsburgh, PA, from Port-au-Prince, having made my big move here with my three-year-old daughter and husband. I fondly remember our hostess, one of my mom's best friends, and all of the people she had around her table then. The guests were a hodgepodge of individuals, but most were musicians from the Pittsburgh ballet or opera who had professional performances that kept them in town and with no time to go home in between them. Guests hailed from Japan, Germany, Louisiana, and New York. The food was delicious and the reception I received from our hosts and guests was warm.

As many of us are fortunate to learn, there are the families we are born with and the families we create. My experience then was that I felt "held," and that as a young mother and a young professional I was being cared for and supported by a woman I admired, as well as her friends who were encouraging and supportive of me as I began my transition into my new life here in the States.

Five years later, when we left Pittsburgh and moved to Baltimore in the late 90s, I found myself in a position to be that hostess myself, offering community to an individual or family in the midst of a transition — whether that be as newly arrived immigrants, new parents, or simply turning over a new leaf in life. For me, this time of year has come to serve as a moment to build community where I can, while also reflecting on the support and kindness that has been extended to me during my life.

Now in my third year in the CSW community, I would like to thank all of those who have helped me in my transition here, both personally and professionally. As an institution and a community, CSW aspires to support our students to grow into who they are meant to become, both intellectually and emotionally. This is not a solo act; it is a community effort. So at this time, on behalf of our school, I have some warm-felt thanks to give to many of you.

Thank you to our current and past trustees; to our alums, who continue to be grateful for their time here and who express it in a myriad of supportive ways; as well as to past and current parents, who partner with us every day of their child's time here with trust and hope for not only their own children but for the entire community. The biggest thanks, of course, go to our faculty and staff, who believe in and continue to give their time and their hearts to inspire and support the next generation of CSW students. All of you, and your stories, are now a part of my own, and I am so grateful.

Whatever your personal Thanksgiving story looks like, I hope each and every one of you finds a moment to spend in wonderment of your gifts, with space to listen and contribute to the stories of others who have been part of your journey.

In gratitude,
Lise