I have never been a patriotic person. In high school, my homeroom teacher ignored the fact that I refused to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance, although I am fairly certain there was an explicit rule stating that I should. He knew me well enough to realize I was genuinely protesting mandated nationalism, not being a teenage rebel. Times haven’t changed much. Recently, a Latina high school student in one of my research studies shared a story of her decision to protest anti-immigrant sentiment when she led the school-wide Pledge of Allegiance by ending it with: Liberty and justice for some On this 4th of July, many of my friends are asking themselves what to do with the day. They balk at the idea of celebrating a nation that seems so far from their ideals. In Pittsburgh, there are ongoing protests about the shooting--murder--of an unarmed Black 17-year-old boy by a White police officer. We are asking ourselves what we can do to end the separation of families at our borders and how to return thousands of detained children to their families. We fear the erosion of voting rights, reproductive rights, rights for LGBTQ people, the continued destruction of the environment, and so much more with the seemingly inevitable changes to the Supreme Court. What can we possibly celebrate? This morning my yoga teacher (a woman of color and immigrant to the US) asked our class, “What does it mean to celebrate Independence and Freedom? Who are you and who do you want to become?” And I pose the question to all of us, Who are we as a nation, and who do we want to become? The problems with the United Stated did not start with the Trump administration, although certainly we must remain vigilant against racist, sexist, homophobic, and classist policies and values that appear to be core to his administration. But if we genuinely ask ourselves who we are, we must acknowledge that we are a nation founded on state sanctioned violence against black and brown bodies. That the promises of liberty and justice have only ever been available to some. The United States of America would not exist without slavery. The United State of America would not exist without genocide of Indigenous peoples. We are a nation defined by white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. It is easy to be disillusioned and discouraged. But perhaps, celebrating Independence can mean asking ourselves, as a nation, who do we want to become? Can we become a nation that truly manifests the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for ALL people? Can we become a nation where we celebrate freedom from the prison industrial complex, and the military industrial complex, and state sponsored wealth inequality, and gender inequity, and homophobia, and transphobia, and so much more? Today, I will spend time with friends and family. Not celebrating a lie, but building community. Fostering the genuine relationships with people who encourage me to work for change, challenge me to do better, and support me when I want to give up. I will spend the day breathing, and resting, and making time to reflect on who I am and who I want to become.
And I will get up tomorrow and continue to fight to build a nation we can believe in. A nation we can celebrate. Britney G Brinkman, PhD. Comments are closed.
|
AboutEMPOWERTAINMENT aims to take a critical look at media in regards to how gender and women/girls are portrayed. From popular articles, videos, and websites, to original submissions, we want to not only examine the media and its relation to gender, but help shift it. Archives
November 2017
Categories |