I am forever indebted to my little sister for the relief she gave me during all those times she ordered chicken nuggets for me at McDonald’s. Here’s my little sister on the left, and me on the right, showing off our My Little Pony ponies at Christmas time standing in front of our decorated tree wearing the most fashionable outfits. Yes, I painted my shirt. It’s an Erin Monahan original.

There Are No Born Leaders: How I Went From Not Being Able to Order Chicken Nuggets at McDonald’s to Speaking Out Against Patriarchy and White Supremacy

The other day I was at the grocery store and I saw the same cashier that I encountered last time. We had gotten to know each other a little bit when we met last and this time she asked me, “How was your Thanksgiving?” I hesitated briefly. I scanned the room. I looked around to see who was in earshot. I was wondering if I should really tell the truth about my Thanksgiving experience this year or if I should just give the obligatory answer of “it was good.”

It didn’t take me long to decide to be honest because for years now I have been practicing being my authentic self and showing up in my truth to the extent that it is possible in any given situation. I made the conscious choice to tell my truth in this moment. I told her, “I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. But my family does.” She prodded me to say more. I explained my thoughts on the truth of what is “Thankstaking,” its genocidal roots, and how colonization is ongoing. I was keeping the temperature of the conversation. Did she want me to keep going? Did she think I was crazy? Did she really care to hear me say more?

To my surprise, she was actually interested in me sharing more. I went into more detail, shared a…