Change begins with us
This is the question, the question that I’ve been stuck on for the past 18 years
The question I need to ask the general population
And by "general" population, I actually mean white straight males in particular.
How?
How can you cross your hearts and swear on mothers’ graves that this country is the best?
That all the songs, poems, and anthems written about it, about that dazzling flag
Are actually true?
How can you look every person of the LGBT community,
Every person of color, every immigrant, refugee, every woman
And say in all seriousness that we are the best there is?
“We are the best there is” oh, yes, of course!
We’re so good that we are tossing out
Refugees, immigrants, building walls to shut out everyone else when this country,
Let I remind you, built on the graves of native Americans, this nation is connected by the glue
Of diversity! Apparently, someone must’ve changed the definition of diverse because last time I checked, it was not: Straight and White.
America is supposed to be a new hope, how is that so when rights are being stripped away, people are being forced out, and countless people being killed thanks to police brutality that nobody bats an eyelash on except for the ones actively dying!
If this is a nation that’s as good as people say it is, show me, show us!
The proof is not in the pudding and the spewing of bigotry and hatred towards others, led by the walking orange man himself on his campaign, is not something to be proud of.
There’s nothing worse than feeling the utter shame of saying “I’m American” by taking a look at the news to wonder who else is being attacked now, who is it today? What graves have been destroyed, what monuments vandalized, what group of people targeted?
In order to make America something everyone can be proud of, instead of sitting around waiting for other people to make changes and then telling others to “deal with it” if they’re unhappy
Understand where they’re coming from.
Greatness comes from acceptance and acceptance comes from understanding. Understanding comes from knowledge and knowledge can be found in the diverse experience everyone has to offer.
We are a nation of turmoil at this moment, not of greatness.
Although we can definitely achieve greatness by learning it’s not a kill-or-be-killed world, instead, by learning that unity leads to equality and equality is the way in which the world will turn.
Until then, we’re stuck with walls we’ve built in fear of others and backward rules out of the hatred of minority groups.
We need to change for America to be great and that change starts with the people.
