Legitimacy is About Counting
Who matters is about seeing humanity and inclusion.
Concerns about legitimacy are in vogue again. Fortunately, we don’t hear the phrase illegitimate child anymore. We’re more concerned about the legitimacy of entire groups of people, their histories of coming to the US, and their contribution to our society.
Social tensions strike fear and shatter confidence in our sense of security and safety. We’re afraid of each other as we stock up on supplies to weather whatever storm lies ahead. We also question who can lawfully tap into literal and figurative reserves, like food banks, welfare money, and even goodwill and generosity.
We are less willing to see each other as good neighbors and instead see one another as competition for dwindling resources. Legitimacy confers official acceptance of presence and allows access to our common good as Americans. Its ebb and flow reflects our national mood and confidence in our prosperity.
Legitimacy’s big-hearted aspect comes with being counted. Acknowledged. Heard. Welcomed. Embraced. Valued. Loved. Celebrated. All of us. We also have a history of falling short. Legitimacy’s short-sightedness sees the world as limited. Europeans stumbled upon these shores centuries ago and pushed their laws to decide who mattered and why.
