On the last day of school in my last period class, English, my teacher played us a video on the projector that she said was required by the State of Wisconsin to show all students. It was about the 250th anniversary of America that would be celebrated this 4th of July. When the video began to play, I realized that I had mostly forgotten that this year was such an important anniversary date for our country.
As most high school students get busy around the late spring with finals, testing for college credits, and end of the year projects, I spent most of April and May completely focused on school. I didn’t check the news as often, our high school Democrats Club ran fewer meetings to compensate for everyone’s busy schedules, and I took a couple months off writing for the newsletter. But once the school year began to wind down and we watched our state-mandated video acknowledging our country’s anniversary, I realized that I wanted to say a few words about the 250th anniversary of America.
First of all, I want to say that I really, truly love America. I’m not saying that America is perfect (it’s certainly not), but something doesn’t need to be perfect for you to love it anyways. Because America is a beautiful country, a deeply diverse country in every way possible. We have coast, we have desert, plains and mountains, rivers and oceans, valleys and meadows. We have New York and Chicago and Los Angeles but we also have towns so small and remote that they’re not even on the map. We have people from all over the world, people who walked off a ship and onto Ellis Island, people who crossed the Southern border, people who came for work and family and for themselves. So many cultures, so many languages, so many different kinds of people. People say it all the time and it’s so true: we are the melting pot. And when all of those different kinds of people gather their lawn chairs and blankets and sit to watch fireworks or maybe just sit in the backyard and be around their family and friends to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America, I just can’t believe that anybody would or could wish to be a less diverse country.
In the grand scheme of things, America’s history is incredibly brief. 250 years in time is short. Barely the blink of an eye. I don’t want to ignore that our history is not clean, not in the least. We’ve made our share of unforgivable mistakes. But the truth is that America is still young. We’re growing. We’re impressionable. In a time where it seems like there’s constant political turmoil and we as a country are growing increasingly polarized, it’s easy to forget that we’re setting the example for our nation. I hope that these are the early years of America and that many more anniversaries will follow this one. And I think that most Americans agree wholeheartedly with that statement. But to hope that America will continue to be a country worth celebrating and to take ownership and responsibility for creating that type of longevity and importance are two completely different things altogether. If we want to see America as a welcoming home for our future citizens, we can’t just hope.
In a time when the diversity that created our country’s depth initially is being viciously attacked rather than nurtured, it’s hard to imagine a bright future for the nation we care so much about. It’s great to celebrate the 4th of July by heating up the grill and lighting some sparklers, but you can also celebrate the 4th of July by researching the candidates in the local elections and figuring out which one will earn your vote. You can stand up for the neighbors who are facing unwarranted prejudice and hate from our government, you can involve yourself in raising the country that you yourself have been raised in. July is a wonderful summer month to celebrate your nation not only for one day but constantly. Celebrate by attending protests for issues you care about, by calling your senators about meaningful laws, and by building the kind of country you want to live in. Although it can be hard to imagine at a time when the government is often frustrating for our citizens, America is far more than its outer layer of government.
The people who live and work here are truly what makes up our country: let’s represent her well this 250th anniversary. Happy 4th!
