Peter Gomes and the Pilgrims
Peter Gomes at his Cambridge home. (Kevin Sullivan)
Peter Gomes is a nationally-recognized Baptist preacher and a Harvard professor. He’s also an African-American who grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts. On Thanksgiving Day, we speak with Professor Gomes about his connection to the Pilgrims of Plymouth.
Stewed Pompion, Anyone?
So what did the Pilgrims eat at the first Thanksgiving? Visitors to the Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts can find out at a “Harvest Dinner.” Here & Now intern, Margaret Aery, attended the traditional feast to see how modern Americans find 17th century fare.
Syria and Iraqi Relations
Tensions are rising between two allies in the Middle East – Iraq and Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki blames Damascus for a recent series of bombings in Baghdad. Syria is demanding proof of those allegations. BBC correspondent Jim Muir talked to American troops patrolling the border between the two countries.
Turkey Day Classic
After the pumpkin pie, a lot of Americans will dig into football Thanksgiving Day. One of the oldest traditional rivalries is the 86th Turkey Day Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. It’s the oldest football classic among the country’s historically black colleges and universities. Today’s game features Tuskegee University and Alabama State.
Reggie Barlow is the head coach at ASU. Willie Slater coaches the Tuskegee team and they join us to talk about the rivalry.
Snow Geese of Vermont
The Dead Creek refuge in Addison, Vermont, used to be a major stop-over for migrating snow geese. Less than a decade ago, visitors were awed by fields and skies filled with as many as 20,000 geese at a time. These days, the geese in the area number just a few thousand. David Sausville of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department tells us why.
Robin’s Trip to Vermont
We join Robin and her now late uncle, Lachlan Maclachlan Field, on their trip to see the migrating snow geese in Vermont. Robin’s pilgrimage has become a Thanksgiving tradition at Here & Now.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Posted by Scott, on November 26th, 2009 at 11:49 am[...] Thanksgiving Day, Robin Young of NPR’s Here and Now spoke with Professor Gomes about his connection to the Pilgrims of Plymouth. He spoke some very [...]
Posted by A Day of Mourning, A New Beginning « Sunset Moment, on November 26th, 2009 at 6:12 pmMy gradfather was Ellis W. Brewster and, courtesy of my other grandfather I am also a life member of the Pilgrim Society. I just want to say thank you on behalf of all of Ellis Brewster’s descendants and relatives for a really nice story–a gift to us all. I have only met Reverend Gomes once but have long known his name. He is a truly insigthful and thoughtful man, a pleasure to listen to. I believe, as he says, that Thanksgiving is a celebration of the cooperation between the natives and the Pilgrims, and gratitude to the natives, rather than the gruesome and unfair treatment Europeans later accorded the natives.
Posted by H. Wolcott Toll, on November 26th, 2009 at 11:05 pmThanks.