A Beautiful Diverse Country Evolves
Let’s take a deep breath and a collective step back. Let’s put aside the divisiveness, the headlines, the demagoguery, and our reactions to them. Let’s take a longer view.
The people of this beautiful diverse country, the United States of America, have been evolving an imperfect union of people from all over the world, for over 200 years. The principles and laws that govern us were set down by immigrants. Native Americans, and only native Americans, are “from here”. The rest of us arrived here.
Together, we will continue to evolve our imperfect union. Together, we will continue to evolve our collective humanity such that we do not “other” each other, rendering some less human based on gender, race, religion, gender preference, gender identity, diverse abilities or any other designations we create.
Our Historic Journey is Our Future
We evolve out of and beyond our fears, our hatred, and the pain and suffering we cause. We evolve into our greater humanity.
We were once a nation of slave owners who considered African Americans less human than whites. No more.
We were once a nation of people who refused women the right to vote. No More.
Where I grew up, Jews were banned from certain neighborhoods and couldn’t join certain clubs. It wasn’t the law but it was legal. It was the way things were. No More. African Americans did not, and could not, live in our town. It wasn’t the law but it was legal. It was the way things were. No More.
Where I went to school, the developmentally disabled kids, or “retards” as we called them, were sequestered in a basement classroom. Some of us mimicked them, to their faces. Students of varying abilities now share the same classrooms, to the benefit of all. We separate ourselves No More.
Once there were no handicap ramps or buses that lowered themselves. Differently-abled people had less access. We were not together in public places. No More.
Hate will, now and again, attempt to lead. Some will follow. Most will not. Why? Because this is our beautiful diverse country. A country that invites immigrant field workers, builders, service providers, scientists, doctors, academicians, and more.
As a nation of immigrant scientists from all over the world, we went to the moon and back. We’ve been exploring our outer spaces ever since. We, a nation of diverse talent, are one of the world’s most innovative countries. Innovation happens when we bring together ideas that don’t normally go together. Ideas that don’t go together emerge when we bring together people who don’t normally spend time together.
This is our historic journey, our beautiful diverse country, forever evolving.
This evolution will not come to an end. We don’t long for times when we lacked compassion. We don’t long to be led by fear and hatred. We don’t long to make others less human. No. We, of all political persuasions, celebrate the evolution of our beautiful diverse country, as our first African American President and our first woman presidential nominee stand together.
THIS is where we are NOW in the imperfect union of our BEAUTIFUL DIVERSE COUNTRY.