PACU Celebrates Friendsgiving with a Presentation on Native American History

In the spirit of camaraderie and giving thanks, Piedmont Advantage Credit Union hosted its annual Friendsgiving Celebration on Thursday, Nov. 7.

The celebration included good food, fellowship with colleagues and a presentation on the history and influential figures in Native American History.

Thanksgiving is a great time to show gratitude, but it’s also a time to reflect on our history and how our country became what it is today.

Josh Brooks, a graduate of UNC Asheville with a Bachelor’s in History specializing in American History, presented Native American history and cultural impact in the United States, focusing on the American Indian Movement of the 1970s. He has been a high school history teacher for 11 years and was on the committee to create the curriculum for Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools’ first-ever American Indian history elective course.

Josh grew up right outside of the Cherokee Indian Reservation. When he started teaching history, he realized how little Native Americans are mentioned in history classes.

“They’re talked about when Columbus landed and then the West, and that was it,” Josh said. “Despite the fact they have and they continue to deal with some of the worst issues, like poverty and stuff like that in the country, but we just ignore it. I got passionate about it through that.”

When the school district discussed creating a course on Native American history, Josh knew he wanted to be involved in creating the curriculum.

“Up until a certain point, we taught history from one point of view,” Josh said. “Recently we started getting more diversity in teaching and having the thought that everybody has a right to hear their history.”

Many people may have heard of Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse, but Josh believes that some key figures in Native American history deserve more attention. Russell Means, Richard Oakes and Leonard Peltier were just a few of the key figures Josh discussed.

Russell Means was a leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and advocated for civil rights and the removal of Columbus’s legacy. Richard Oakes was an activist instrumental in the Occupation of Alcatraz, which protested broken treaties and called for indigenous land rights.

Leonard Peltier was an activist and member of AIM who was convicted of two counts of murder and is serving a life sentence in jail. However, many prominent world leaders and institutions, such as Nelson Mandela and Amnesty International, believed his trial and conviction were unjust and called for his release due to evidence of tampering with evidence and coercion of witnesses.

Not only was the presentation informative and educational, but it also gave our employees the chance to ask questions and consider how this topic relates to some of the eight cooperative principles, such as Diversity, Equality and Inclusion and Concern for the Community.

Josh’s biggest encouragement to PACU is to stay informed and involved in the community. Last year, PACU had a tent at the Guildford Native American Association’s Pow Wow. “Participating in events like that, and showing awareness and support is just another great way that PACU can be there for its community,” Josh said.