Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
It originated as a harvest festival. Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789, with a proclamation by President George Washington after a request by Congress.
The President of Ghana National Council, (GNC) Paa Kwasi Sam, in a thanksgiving message asked for unity and support of the Ghanaian community in Chicago.
GNC President , Paa Kwasi sam ( in suit) and his VP Kassim Abukari.
Below is the full message:
On behalf of the Ghana National Council and its executives,
I will like to take the opportunity to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving celebrations! Like so many of you, we’ll spend the day with friends and family as we eat, drink, fraternize and reconstruct old and new bonds that hold the fabric of our community together.
We’ll give thanks to each other, and for all that God has given us. We’ll reflect on what truly binds us as immigrant Ghanaians who have established their roots in this land.
Thanksgiving reminds us once more that no matter what our differences may be, we are still one people, part of something bigger than ourselves and families alone. We are a community that moves forward together.
We are first and foremost Ghanaians who look out for one another, especially when one of us needs our help, we mobilize and support each other than many other communities in the Diaspora.
We are always, simply, Ghanaian immigrants who are carrying on with what our heritage has embedded in us -unity and love for one another.
That’s why through thick and thin, acrimony and misunderstanding, we have always found a way to iron out our differences and unite for the common good of our community.
And so precisely, when the fate of our community is threatened, this day of Thanksgiving, the gifts of our Almighty Lord, should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice by the whole Ghanaian community because of our shared destiny and love for all.
Today, we continue to give thanks for those blessings, and to all who ensured that we have a community that brings us together to share and embrace each other in brotherhood.
We remember with nostalgia, those who left this legacy for our collective benefit. We give thanks to the brave men and women who thought of building an organization to unite us as one people in the Chicagoland.
We honor all people – from the First Ghanaians who landed here to our newest arrivals – who continue to shape our community’s story, enrich our culture, and give meaning to the values we inherit from our tradition.
We will continue to welcome the contributions of all Ghanaians as long as we stand up for each other, speak out for what is right, and stay true to these ideals – not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard – then no one can ever take away our quest to build a strong community from us.
Our best days as a community is always ahead. We will continue building a better future where all of us count.
Today as we celebrate thanksgiving, let us be grateful for all the extremely wonderful things life has blessed us with.
As a council, we couldn’t be more thankful this Thanksgiving Day because we have a community that has extremely supported us throughout the past three years.
We thank our doctors, nurses, educators, patrons, donors and all others who have volunteered their time and money to support our programs.
I am happy to inform you that for the first time, the council’s programs and FINANCIAL POSITION are strong.
Those days where the GNC had to resort to individuals to borrow money and at times pay huge charges are over.
We cannot claim perfection, because no human institution is, but we shall strive to continue our pursuit to improve as an organization to serve the community with better transparency.
We need to build on our achievements so that we can leave a lasting legacy to our next generations, even those generations whose faces we may not see.
We humbly appeal that you take a moment as you celebrate, to pray for members of our community who have challenges with their health, those who need a job or those who in one way or the other need assistance to get back on their feet.
As we celebrate and mark this day with pure joy, love and laughter, we wish everyone a joyful thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Long Live the GNC,
Long Live the Ghanaian Community of Chicago
Long live Ghana
Paa Kwasi Sam,
President, GNC.
