I wake on this 4th of July, feeling the heaviness of conflict. On one hand, so very grateful for my freedom, for the house I live in, for meaningful work, for love…and on the other hand, reflecting on the words that appear at the base of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore,” I struggle to look past images of migrant humans, held against their will at our borders, for what, the crime of seeking asylum? I imagine the statue’s quote pondering laws that would describe asylum-seeking as criminal.
I believe my freedoms are worthy of protection, that our borders must be secure, and I also believe incarceration is not the answer, nor is it the America Lady Liberty advertises. I don’t believe the people we are detaining to be criminals. On July 4th, 2019, we wake to tax dollars being expended to fund a grand military-might parade, while freedom-seekers are sitting in concentration camp-like detention centers, unable to bathe, brush their teeth, sleep in beds. Are we better than them or just luckier? My heart wrestles with this tension.
It isn’t illegal to want a better life, to follow American history to prosperous shores. We celebrate the nation’s birthday, having crossed a great ocean to declare this land as ours, but was it? There were Indians here before colonizers and so many other nation’s citizens sent to build our railroads and cities. The fabric of our country is woven with immigrants. What about the citizens of Africa, taken against their will to serve on plantations and farms? When will this country be theirs? Democracy allows the asking of these questions and they swirl through my head as I look for fireworks displays and gluten-free hamburger buns.
And we are supposed to be governed by Democracy. We vote, we determine our course through the voices of our citizens. In an election whose results represented more than half of its people wanting incumbent party policies (remember, like it or not, Hillary won the popular vote), an election compromised by a foreign adversary, it is unfathomable that more has not been done to hear the plight of both sides, to unify us, to look for common threads, appeal to the existing core of our sameness.
I am conflicted by unlawfulness, yet I support the rule of law. I am conflicted by the safety I feel, against the threat of it disappearing. I love strength, the military, American soldiers, the American dream, but I don’t need to see tanks on the streets to celebrate existence of our power, strength and dedication of our warriors. In a Democracy, the power belongs to the people, not the President.
There will be picnics and fireworks today, American flags, time off. I will feel joy that I have the good fortune to call this place my home, and I will also feel the tug of injustice for those seeking the same. I am no better than any other human being who didn’t hit the birth-location lottery. When I look at the world through this lens, through compassion’s vision and insight, I believe this is the platform I must stand on while thoughtfully and patriotically waving my flag.
Happy Birthday America.
