Happy Birthday, America.

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Birthdays can be fun, joyful celebrations and they can also be reminders of past losses, traumas and disappointments.  The 4thof July, the birthday of the United States, is no different.  

   America the Beautiful has been a refuge for millions, a place where shattered lives can begin to heal and find purpose again.  

    America the Beautiful is also the country that gave White people the right to own Black people, to strip them of their names and heritage. It’s the country that wouldn’t allow Black children to attend the same schools as White children until 1954.  And it’s the country where descendants of those people are still living with prejudice and inequities. 

    Just as my love for those who are dear to me is sometimes threaded through with hurt and disappointment and confusion, so is my love for America. 

    When I sing the National Anthem and pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America I always feel a welling up of emotion, a wave of patriotism.  

    However, being a patriot doesn’t diminish the mix of sadness and anger I experience when I think about what the European colonists did to the Native American population who were already here, speaking their languages, raising their children, living their lives.  And it doesn’t prevent me from questioning why is it that we haven’t really acknowledged the generational trauma that was created so long ago and is still playing out today with the indigenous people in this country.  

    Today I spent a while looking at my two souvenirs from February 24, 2010, when my husband and I become United States citizens, after many years of being resident aliens.  One of the souvenirs is a unique Uncle Sam hat our friend made for us and the other is We the People: the Citizen’s Almanac, given to us by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

    In the Almanac there’s a quotation from former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis: “The only title in our democracy superior to the President is the title of citizen.” 

   When I looked at our souvenirs, I remembered how happy and relieved and proud we were when we became citizens. And right after that memory, came the images of the Capitol building being stormed and desecrated on January 6th, and the sounds of the crowds calling for the hanging of Vice President Pence. 

      Sometimes they overlap, the good and bad memories.  

    When I was younger I needed to see things in black or white, good or bad, right or wrong.  With time and age, nuances and contradictions have become easier to tolerate.  This country may be deeply divided and riddled with flaws, but I’m still hopeful.  

  I’m having a happy 4thof July and I hope you are too. I’ve found all kinds of good things to snack on in the fridge and pantry and done a couple of loads of laundry.  In a while I’ll go sit on the deck with my husband and watch the sunset.  When it’s dark maybe we’ll see some fireworks from one of the surrounding tribal casinos lighting up the sky. 

 


Comments

  1. Joyce EllenJuly 12, 2021 at 9:40 AM

    Brigi, I always admire your honest way of writing and seeing things as they are, but always with hope for the not-so-good things to change. I am always grateful for you.

    ReplyDelete

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