Readers:
It’s the 4th of July as I am writing this. I can smell someone lighting their charcoal briquettes as we speak. Now personally, I prefer the ease of a gas grill (like Hank Hill) but something about that smoky smell tells all of us “it’s summer!!!”
There are many Americans (whatever race/color/orgin) who are not proud of their country or who have a complaint about whatever goes on. Look folks, there are many things wrong with this country. Humans are not perfect, therefore the country is not perfect. However, it is in America where we have the right to express our opinion without undue fear of having our door broken down in the middle of the night and being carted away to jail simply for the fact of speaking out.
As a black woman, I am proud to be an American. In what other country would I be able to own my own business, to write on blogs that can be read nation-, no world-wide and be able to connect with others across the globe?
Yes, the country has a troubled history. Slavery, Japanese internment camps and the forced relocation of some Italian-Americans during World War II, the “Okies” of the 1930s, the beatings, lynching, and persecution of Black Americans, Italian Americans, Jewish people and other immigrant groups. While we do hold a unique position (however unenviable it is) as being held as slaves in the so-called “land of the free” I, personally, am proud at how far we have come since the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865.
I especially love the how Frederick Douglass, Mum Bett, Dred Scott and others used both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence to fight for their freedom and the freedom of others. If there were no July 4th, their quest might not have been as fruitful.
So, readers, grill your hot dogs, enjoy your barbeque – but remember, we are the only people in the country who live in the “land of the free, the home of the brave” and we should “life every voice and sing” because we’re “proud to be an American”.
Happy 4th!
Peace…..Love…..and Sooooooooooooooooooooul!
