Recurrence pattern: Every year on the fourth Thursday of November

Unthanksgiving Day, also known as the National Day of Mourning, is observed on Alcatraz Island every fourth Thursday in November, coinciding with Thanksgiving. This event honors Native Americans and promotes their rights, commemorating the survival of indigenous peoples following European colonization. The first Unthanksgiving Day was held on November 27, 1975, in the wake of the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz by a group of Native Americans who claimed the island based on the Treaty of Fort Laramie. The occupation lasted nineteen months and became a significant moment in the civil rights movement for indigenous Americans. The ceremony is organized by the International Indian Treaty Council and American Indian Contemporary Arts, taking place before sunrise and open to the public. On the same day, a National Day of Mourning protest is held in Massachusetts to further highlight the historical losses suffered by Native Americans.