This is a think-piece.  I hope that it will inspire you to think about its subject matter. Please approach it with an open mind.

I’m going to take a moment to discuss being Black in the United States of America.  I felt a surge of pride and patriotism in January of 2009.  I sat in the freezing cold for hours to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office.  It was my March on Washington moment.  “Yes we can” is my “I have a dream”.  In that moment, I believed that this marked the moment where this country would live up to its ideals. 

I was wrong.  Barack Obama did not signal that we had reached the summit.  We are still dealing with the major obstacles of systemic injustice and a lack of equality.  These obstacles are blocking us from becoming the country that we claim to be.  And because of that, I cannot say that I am currently proud to be an American. 

So, let’s talk about it…

This country was founded on the idea that all people were created equal.

This is the idea that all people, regardless of race, religion, or creed, bring equal value to the country.  It is the idea that all people have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  It was written into the very declaration that birthed our nation on July 4, 1776.  If this is our foundational ideal, that is something that I can get behind.  This is worth fighting for. 

That being said, we have not lived up to this ideal.  We consider White, Anglo-Saxon, Cisgender, Heterosexual, Able-Bodied, and Protestant Christian to be “normal”.  All other identities are “deviations”.  We are encouraged to conform to “normal”.  Deviation from “normal” is discouraged.  “Normal” is then enforced through our systems and institutions. 

If all people are created equal, then we should not enforce conformity.  We should not dissuade deviance.  Our systems should be fair and impartial, not separate, but equal. The thing that I love most about the United States is our diversity.  This is a strength, not a weakness. We should encourage diversity, not homogeneity. 

And if we are going to say that all people are created equal, then we should live up to that.

Does this mean that we should treat everyone the same?  What exactly does “equal” mean? 

The words equal and same are similar but not identical in definition.

We define “equal” as “identical in mathematical value or logical denotation”.  We define “same” as “resembling in every relevant respect”.  Many will assume that these words are interchangeable.  Some will dismiss efforts for equality by insisting that people are naturally different.  They will not consider that people can be equal and different.  They will say “when everyone is super, no one will be”.  They will never question how we came to decide what is and isn’t super in the first place.

These assumptions miss the point.  Few, if any, of the people championing for equality claim that we are all the same.  We are saying that we are all equal.  We are saying that we all bring equal value to society. 

Let me share a practical example of these two words in action. 1,000 pennies, 40 quarters, and a ten-dollar bill are all equal in value.  They each equal ten dollars.  Yet, they are not the same.  Pennies and quarters are coins.  A ten-dollar bill is a bank note.  1,000 pennies will contain copper and zinc.  40 quarters will contain cubro-nickel.  Two ten-dollar bills will only contain trace amounts of metal. 1,000 pennies and 1,000 pennies are the same.  40 quarters and 40 quarters are the same.  Two ten-dollar bills are the same.  When we ask for equality, we ask that people be treated as if they all bring the same value to society.  It does not mean that we ask to see and treat all people as if we were identical. 

A failure to achieve equality is our country’s greatest struggle.  To date, it is also our greatest collective failure.  And yet, if we ever achieve this ideal, this equality, this country will be worthy of pride.  I still believe that we can reach that point.

I believe in a United States that champions freedom and equality. 

I would be proud of that country too.  I support the idea that all people are created equal.  I believe that a country that fully supports and defends this ideal is one worth living in.  I, like so many other Black Americans, am willing to fight to see this realized.

I also subscribe to the idea of Black America being America’s soul, its conscience.  We built the country on our backs, and we continue to carry it to this day.  When this country threatens to slip off of its tracks, Black Americans are here to remind us of what this country stands for.  It’s not fair.  Black Americans are perhaps the sole caste of Americans who can say that we didn’t ask to be here.  Many, if not most, of us are descended from enslaved Africans.  We have experienced the worst of what America has to offer, and cast a mirror to it in the process.

Because of this, Black Americans are some of its greatest patriots.  The lives and experiences of Black Americans are the most visible example of the failure of this country.  We have every reason to leave, to resent, and to hate.  And yet, we want equality, not revenge.  Contrary to popular belief, we are not just victims of society.  We mold it, too. From Frederick Douglass to Colin Kaepernick, we have held this country accountable.  Many of us even choose to love a country that still doesn’t love us back.

When Black Lives Matter, perhaps all lives will then matter.  When Black Americans have achieved life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, perhaps we all will.  For some Americans, this country was never great.  So, do not tell me that I am not a patriot because I am not proud to be an American.  I am a patriot because I will fight to see that this country becomes something that is worthy of pride. 

When that happens, perhaps I’ll be singing about how I’m proud to be an American too. 

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