I left high school believing America was the greatest country in the world. I carried that belief through college. I argued this point with others, citing that we were the saviors of freedom and democracy in both world wars, that we stepped into the role of global #July4th (1/22)

leader and set the example for all nations, that we had the strongest military, and that we provided opportunity for all who worked for it. I made these arguments acknowledging that there are deep inequities in our country, but we simply needed to work on them. #July4th (2/22)

I felt a great swell of pride seeing the American flag, and proudly displayed it in my college dorm.

Today that flag means something different to me. I’ve seen it draped around the shoulders of racists threatening peaceful protestors. #July4th (3/22)

I’ve seen it used as a gag to silence sexual assault survivors in the military for the “greater good.” I’ve seen it used as a shield for ICE agents that abuse small children and police who kill black men and then mock them on social media. I’ve seen it used as a #July4th (4/22)

justification to bomb innocent civilians in the Middle East into dust. Today I look on that flag with shame, an embodiment of hypocrisy. The America I was brought up believing in only exists for a certain group of people, if it exists at all. #July4th (5/22)

How can a country that claims to represent liberty utilize a system of mass incarceration to dominate people of color, lock immigrants in cages with subhuman conditions for seeking that liberty for their families, and try to control women’s bodies? #July4th (6/22)

How can a country that claims to represent justice allow Breonna Taylor to be murdered in her bed by police, allow Vanessa Guillen’s sexual assault & murder to be covered up by the military? How can it allow systematic racism and denigration of rape/abuse victims? #July4th (7/22)

How can it justify spending so much of our money on military dominance and punishment, and so little on education and social programs that save lives? How can a country that claims to be a meritocracy allow millions of people to work 50+ hours a week on starvation #July4th (8/22)

wages and somehow receive less than people who were born lucky who barely work? How can a country that claims to be the best in innovation/advancement, be the greatest impediment to stopping the climate crisis, & have the worst national response to the pandemic? #July4th (9/22)

There is something deeply broken with many of our systems in America, as well as many American citizens. All of the aforementioned issues and the many unmentioned ones come down to one thing: compassion. #July4th (10/22)

Why do people have more compassion for stray dogs than they do for black people abused by police? Why do they worship the false idols of a patriotic song, or a piece of red, white, and blue cloth, while spitting upon the protests and people that those idols are #July4th (11/22)

supposed to symbolize? Some Americans would rather lie to themselves and blame people that have never been full beneficiaries of the American promise, rather than admit that the promise was a lie to begin with. #July4th (12/22)

Despite the propaganda I was fed, and the bleak reality I see today, I still have a positive vision of a future America. I see a country where we welcome immigrants to our shores and give them a place in our society, to the benefit of all. #July4th (13/22)

I see every citizen’s culture and experiences celebrated and valued. I see justice systems where money is not a contributing factor, and impartiality and compassion are actively practiced. #July4th (14/22)

I see proactive budgets where schools, mental health services, and social support programs demolish the causes of criminality, rather than seeking to merely punish its symptoms. I see academic debate and political discourse based in scientific fact and evidence #July4th (15/22)

for the betterment of all, not based in fear and the desire to increase profit margins. I see a world where we all have clean water, air, and land, and where we can appreciate the beauty of biodiversity. I see peace. #July4th (16/22)

We have a long way to go to reach this vision. You may think we’ll never get there. Pessimism is a tool of oppression. If you think we won’t you’ll be right, because we won’t get there without belief, compassion, & sustained effort. We won’t get there without you. #July4th (17/22)

So I ask you today to believe in this vision. It will require uncomfortable work. We need to examine and root out our own biases. We need to boycott companies that abuse workers’ rights, no matter how convenient they make your life (Amazon, Walmart). #July4th (18/22)

We need to call elected officials and have uncomfortable conversations with friends and family. We need to donate some of our hard earned money. We need to research elected officials and campaign for real change. #July4th (19/22)

None of this work is easy. I don’t do anything on the list perfectly and I’m still learning. I’d like to help you begin that imperfect struggle. We will achieve this vision together, imperfectly. #July4th (20/22)

Ultimately a country is just a plot of land with imagined borders. A flag is a piece of fabric. The people are what make or break a society. #July4th (21/22)

Our actions show what vision of America we want to exist. I hope we can all be better, especially privileged white people like me. That way, I can look on that flag with pride again, and others can look on it with pride for the first time. #July4th (22/22)