It might not be called Thanksgiving, but even in the Caribbean people gather together and cook lots of food in a spirit of thankfulness.
Sunday night, members of the Black Student Alliance, Students of the Caribbean Association and Duke Africa celebrated diversity and tradition in the Mary Lou Williams Center with an event usually considered predominantly American-Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner is a new event that was co-sponsored by the three organizations.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that encapsulates all cultures and traditions-from Jamaican and Haitian to Virginian and South Carolinian-said BSA president Malik Burnett, a senior.
"I'm from Jamaica," he said. "Traditionally, we eat chicken and rice and peas."
Each participant paid to attend, and the proceeds will go to hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for the senior citizens of the L.W. Reid Complex in Durham.
Junior Sharon Obialo, co-president of Duke Africa, said the dinner was less about the historical significance of Thanksgiving and more about a gathering of people celebrating different cultures and traditions.
"I'm just thankful that all of us, besides our differences, can come and be thankful together," sophomore Angelica Compas said.
Obialo said that although many in attendance were ethnically African, the event was held for all.
"It's about bringing people together," she added.
After a prayer and a reading from W.E.B. DuBois's book, "Prayers for Dark People," attendees were encouraged to converse about Thanksgiving traditions and cultural backgrounds.
"I can't remember not celebrating Thanksgiving," said Marcus Darrabie, a fourth-year medical student.
Darrabie, originally from Trinidad, said many participants celebrate Thanksgiving in ways considered American, with subtle differences.
"We're making the foods in the Trinidad style, but we're still making the turkey and stuff," he said.
Although they came from many different backgrounds, participants compared their various traditions for the holiday, from sharing stories and dancing to laughing together and playing spades.
They also said they were all thankful for friends, family and loved ones, as well as opportunity.
"I'm thankful to be graduating from Duke University," senior Gabrielle McCoy said.
About 100 attendees dug into fried bananas, jolof, turkey, sugary "puff-puff" and Zimbabwe-style chicken, among other dishes.
Members discussed the fact that although the food they ate on Thanksgiving might not be considered average, the holiday was nonetheless a time when all cultures could celebrate one thing-food.
"I'm here to mingle with other students, take a study break and just fellowship," said Lettye Smith, a third-year divinity student.
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