I’m itching to get home. On our trip, we visited the birth places of this country and saw many monuments erected in memory of the men and women whose vision and leadership set the course of this nation. It struck me, as I stood under the shadows cast by statues of these men and women and as I walked past their graves, how different they were. How if they were here now, they wouldn’t agree on every detail. But the unifying thread through their lives, beliefs and the quotes attributed to them, was the freedom to live as they choose and a commitment to equality and justice. Did they always make the right choices? No. We know that women and minorities weren’t even considered when making many decisions at the start of this country. They didn’t always come down on the right side of the issues of the day. Were they prefect? Hell no. They just didn’t have to contend with facebook and the interest. But they showed up and did the best they could with what they had before them.
This week, I’ve had all types of feelings about being American, being black, a woman, being married and a mom. I am grieving the loss of life in South Carolina at Mother Emmanuel. I am grieving for the continued lack of justice experienced by people of color in this country. I’m hoping that all of us have real honest conversations with ourselves and our friends and family about where we are and what we can do to show up and do our best to make this nation better. Ye, progress has been made. But we are failing in light of the ideals and ideas of our native heroes.
Freshest on my mind are these from the monuments at the National Mall in D.C.:
FDR – “In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice…the path of faith, the path of hope, and the path of love toward our fellow man.” 1932
“I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.” “The test of our progress is not whether we add amore to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” 1937
“We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all our citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization.” 1940
MLK JR. – “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” 1963
“Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” 1959