I LOVE this country. I truly believe it is the best place on earth and am proud to be an American. Even with all that goes on here that I do not agree with, even when we have leaders whom I find hard to follow, even when we may not do exactly what is best for others, I STILL love this country. The American Flag is a symbol for who we are as a nation. That symbol has a different meaning, I am finding out, for everyone. For me, the flag symbolizes our united hearts toward freedom and our history of struggle. It symbolizes a nation that tries to do what is best for its people even though it may get it wrong some. It symbolizes a general safety net put in place by our constitution that is able to be changed when we the people see fit through our democracy. To me it reminds us that this country is not an entitlement. Rather, we have had to fight many battles to keep it ours and continue to fight today to hold onto it. This flag stands for every American that has ever stepped foot on, been birthed on, or been accepted into this land- all colors, creeds, and religions.
This is the flag that flies from the flag pole at my house. When I look at it, I am reminded of my own patriotism and my love for this great nation.
To some people, this flag has a different meaning or is used for a different purpose. Because of the freedoms that it represents some people may feel that they want to burn it or rip it or dirty it because they are angry that they don't feel free and the flag serves for them as a reminder of their lack. This display of anger is not the way that I personally choose to express displeasure with something but I understand it and am thankful that we have freedom of speech to allow it unlike countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, and France. These countries imprison or place high fines on citizens who desecrate their flags.
Some people may view the flag as a symbol of oppression and decide to quietly kneel toward it during the national anthem rather than stand at attention with hand over heart. This has caused quite the stir among some circles who call this disrespectful and nontraditional. To kneel is defined by the online dictionary as to be in or assume a position in which the body is supported by a knee or the knees, as when praying or showing submission.
The word "submission" is an interesting part of this definition. Many are upset when some choose to kneel in quiet protest rather than stand. But perhaps we can look at it a little differently- perhaps we can look at it as submitting to the ideas of the constitution that allow for such protests and "speech" and is a nod to the very fact that we in this great country CAN petition for change. I love our constitution. I especially love the first amendment freedoms outlined. This is the very thing that our servicemen and women swear to protect when they take the oath to join the armed services. My husband was an officer in the United States Air Force and repeated this oath:
I ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
This oath gives me chills.
We have debated for many years about the impact and legitimacy of the Confederate Flag that is frequently flown in some circles. Recently, it has been taken down from court houses, public buildings, has been removed from state flags, and is banned from NASCAR. This symbol of hate has become less and less popular and is now under tense scrutiny. What seems like a victory however, by taking symbols of oppression out of the spotlight like removing this flag and taking down confederate monuments, has become just a justification for more hate and oppression using a would-be symbol of freedom and unity for most, our beloved "Old Glory" itself, to display their cause.
For example, this is Jason Kessler, a self proclaimed Neo-Nazi and organizer of the "Unite the Right" white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA in 2017 as well as the 2nd rally in Washington DC in 2018.
This image is probably the most memorable of those rallies: 
Or this one...
More recently, some have used the American Flag to display during heinous acts of disrespect for life like these two men from New Jersey who are seen mocking George Floyd protesters as they hatefully reenact the death of Floyd and yell out racial slurs and cruelties to those who pass by.
What sparked THIS post? I woke up this morning and read a heartfelt post from one of my favorite Facebook pages- Sistas in Zion. These two women are black women living in Utah who typically write really funny uplifting anecdotes and stories just to show us all that we are each at different places in our journey to Jesus and that we can each be "fixed". Lately, they have become more political as they have shared their experiences with racism and to some readers, it has not been appreciated unfortunately. One of the Sistas told a story of how they went shopping and came out in the parking lot and saw a van with the American Flag plastered onto it and a man in the van yelled out the window, "We're taking our country back, Nigger!" and drove off.
Because of experience like these, to many Blacks, the American Flag has now become a trigger of anxiety because they aren't sure if the person displaying it is patriotic or hate-filled. And I totally get what they mean. So much hate has been displayed in the name of this flag that it is becoming a trigger for me too- until I get home to the safety of MY house and MY flag because it is not a symbol of hate for me. However, like other Africa-American or Biracial families, I can't always tell why someone else flies theirs. I pray our country gets back to the time when we can display the flag out or love and patriotism unquestionably rather than hate and pride in oppression.
It hurts my heart all this hate. I wish it would stop. Because, like my Sista in Zion, " Last I checked, It's my country too."
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