What It Means To Be American
This is a post i was invited to put on Eboo Patel's The Faith Divide blog, on Newsweek/Washington Post's On Faith website.
let me know what you think!
Guest Blogger: Blaxican and American
By Kara Carrell
Langston Hughes says that America was never America to him. And in many ways, being a Blaxican (of Black and Mexican heritage) woman, I have felt the same. In talking with my friends, mostly young people leading diverse lifestyles across the country, I’ve found the question of what it means to be American - what it means to be patriotic - being asked over and over again. The questions persist despite traits and heritage, beyond minority and majority divisions.
Langston Hughes also says,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!
The Flobots, an up-and-coming band from my hometown of Denver, Colorado came out to Chicago recently. (To my excitement, they also showed up on Jay Leno recently, and they have a national tour this summer.) The Flobots’ new album, Fight With Tools, shows the band members donning American flag bandannas, as well as flags waving in the background.
As the Flobots took the stage in Chicago, I noticed a lot of American flags out in the audience, being worn and waved in the mosh pits. As the concert went on, energetic hopping matched the beat of the music. Johnny 5 and Brer Rabbit, lead emcees of the band, called out, “To all of you out in the crowd, wearing and waving the flag: we want to tell you that these flags are not for the America you know today. Not for the America that has been. This is a representation of the America to come. The America we are all building.”
Reflecting on the concert later, thinking of what the Flobots had said, I found myself able to re-own what it means to be a patriotic American - that it’s important to recognize that America has not lived up to the principles of what it can be, and that we should use that recognition as a catalyst for building the America that will be. I felt excitement in making that America happen.
Looking forward to the 4th of July, we should celebrate not only our independence, but also our interdependence; shifting our thoughts and our actions toward the revitalization of America. In this America that will be, Independence Day also becomes Interdependence Day.
The 4th of July will be filled with millions of steps we all take as citizens toward making this the America that will be - where we will build, serve, talk, clean, and take action together.
At the end of this day, when we watch the fireworks light the night sky as we barbecue with family and friends, we will not only celebrate where we have come as a nation, but the America we are building. Rising together in solidarity, we will celebrate bringing our nation that much closer to what it looks like in the eyes of our dreams.
We will have reached for it, with tools in our hands, fire in our voices, and mutual loyalty and respect in our hearts, knowing that every year, on Interdependence Day, we get closer to a real, legendary, grassroots America for which we can all be patriotic - even Langston Hughes, even the youth, and - enthusiastically - me.
Kara Carrell is the Office Manager at the Interfaith Youth Core. Her current Flobots anthem is “Rise”.
