Towards a More Perfect Union
Today we commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress in 1776.
But, today is an Independence Day different than any other.
This year, the Fourth of July comes off of the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, initiated by the murders of several choice black individuals all around our country at the hands of several police officers. Whether or not you agree with the sentiment, this is the fact of the day: our country is in turmoil. Our country is hurting. Our people are hurting. People of every color and creed are hurting.
Even though all people were not free in 1776, the transition our country underwent, a transition that is still happening, is enough for us to honor the place we call home.
Supporting Independence Day should not be a political statement. Neither should supporting Juneteenth. They both commemorate events in our nation’s history. A history that cannot be erased, but rather ought to be cherished and reflected upon.
Two-hundred and forty-four years and learning every day. Getting better for every generation. Our great country is for and by the people. We see this as our citizens have stood up for what they believe. They advocate for change. And change is happening.
The ability to change the government we reside under is one of the great perks of living in the United States. Saying that this country is bad but being able to do something about it, is freedom. Oppression is saying a country is bad and having no rights to change it.
People don’t flee America because it is oppressive, they change the system so it is less oppressive. People flee other countries because it is oppressive and that cannot change that system.
Today is a day that commemorates the system that serves us. That continues to serve us, even during civil unrest and societal destruction.
You might think that the United States of America is a terrible nation, one doomed at its inception or even prior to that.
That America is rotten at its core and still continues to rot.
But know this, without the sacrifices, the risks, the movements, the figures, America would not be what it is today, the country that deep down, I know you want to love. You want to love it because you are fighting for it. You love it because you can fight for yourself in this country. You want to make it work for you. And it has. And it will continue.
Having pride for your country is not Neo-Nazism. Accepting flaws and working to rectify them is a noble thing to do for your country, for your people.
Having pride for your country is not racist. Acknowledging our differences and making them our strengths is not something to be ashamed of.
We cannot be guilty for the sins of our past, only aware enough to not make them again. The freedom the United States gives to its citizens ensures that we can know our history and that we can ensure we learn from it. Erasing history is going backwards. Forward-thinking is using history, all sides of history, to inform our paths for the future.
The American democracy is unparalleled. The American spirit is irreproducible. The American dream is still alive and well.
The best way to make America work for all people is for all citizens to be involved in the democratic process. Educate themselves on a bipartisan level and make their own judgements instead of getting bogged down in media mediated mob mentality. And aspire to take advantage of all that the United States has to offer because it has a lot to offer its people.
The United States is not perfect, and can never be, but with each passing day, its citizens can help create the more perfect union we have been aspiring for.
