Last week was both Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day in the United States. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. These days remind me of the stories I heard in school as a child about the “discovery” of America and the “first people” to come here. As an immigrant family, the stories of these holidays weren’t a part of our home life, but they certainly appeared at school each autumn. I remember being told to memorise a poem about Columbus in first grade and the narrative of the first thanksgiving appearing in each US history course I took. 

While having time off from school and work is nice (I certainly enjoy that part of civil service), these days are also wonderful opportunities to talk about the health disparities we see between Native American/Alaska Native (AIAN) and other groups in the US. Native writers have spoken and written and researched this far better than I will here, but it’s important for all public health practitioners to discuss the ways that the health of the people who grew us and raised us shapes our own health.