July 4, 1776. King George of England versus Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, and a band of patriots. Back then, the game was a fight for our independence. And America won its freedom from England, a world-class superpower. Decisively.
241 years later … the game’s the same and the future of this nation still hangs in the balance. Will America overthrow its self-inflicted oppressors of classism, misogyny, homophobia, racism, homegrown terrorism, et al, and realize that its strength is in its diversity?
This is who we are. Young, old, male, female, trans; signature mash-up of cultures; its different political ideologies and sexual orientations; and even more religious affiliations, including those who choose “none.” And that’s just scratching the surface. At our core, we all want the same things: to live, to love, and be accepted for who we are.
Countless great American thinkers have shared their wisdom for times like these—
We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.
— Benjamin FranklinThose who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
—Abraham LincolnUntil we are all free, we are none of us free.
–Emma LazarusInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
—Martin Luther King, Jr.If we lose love and self respect for one another,
this is how we finally die.
—Maya Angelou
The sooner we realize that the end game isn’t to exist independent of one another, but that we live interdependent with one another the sooner we can get on with the business of establishing liberty and justice for all … not just all of one type.
Democracy. Who knew it was so fragile? Happy July 4th.
Love one another.
