I didn’t post anything for 4th of July this year… Pretty weird for a “political” blog huh? Well to be honest, I was struggling with what to say. I sat down to write the day of, and here’s what came out…
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America, land of the FREE, home of the BRAVE.
It’s pretty hard for me to feel “happy” this year.
I had a hard time figuring out where to start with this post, so I’ll just get to the point: I’m not very proud of where we are as a nation today. I do not believe we are upholding the ideals that our founding fathers signed into the Declaration of Independence 242 years ago.
I don’t think they pictured imprisoning children or, banning people due to their faith or, allowing troubled youth to shoot up schools every other week.
Don’t get me wrong, I know we have an insane standard of living here in the United States and that most of us are privileged beyond measure… But those of us who are lucky enough to experience that bubble of comfort, also have a duty to remain vigilant and aware and speak out on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. We have to use the right to vote as a tool to elect people who share our values as a country.
When our grandfathers marched off to Europe and Asia in World War II, they went to fight AGAINST things like loading people like cattle into detainment centers… They fought against this exact type indecency. That’s why that war was “justified” and they are the “greatest generation.” They risked their lives, and many paid their lives, all to protect our basic human values… Right to life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness.
That’s all an immigrant really wants… A chance to pursue happiness. A place where their kids can be safe and free. That’s what we are SUPPOSED to stand for.
I know, we have seen a lot of ranting on the internet lately… Namely on social media. So I apologize if I am exhausting you with yet another lengthy monologue… But I spent a long time pondering what I could write about today for the 4th and decided that if I were to do a historical piece or something light-hearted, I would be doing much more harm than good. Turning a blind eye to issues like this is what perpetuates them… It’s complacent. And so, with that, I would like to say, I am not complacent. You shouldn’t be either.
I hope we can all enjoy a day of rest but maybe use this time to plan how we want to make America actually great again.
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THAT was what I wrote on the actual fourth of July… Pretty sad huh? The truth is… After watching a ton of people’s posts on my newsfeed flicker by, I didn’t feel much better. Until my family busted out the home movies… I started to remember why we came to this country in the first place as immigrants.
We watched my Aunt Marie-Anne’s wedding from 1953. My Aunt Paula was a baby and my grandpa? He was a suave young man in a well-fitted suit carrying his lace-wrapped baby so proudly.
My grandpa was a pureblood Italian man from Sicily. He immigrated to this country with his parents and helped start a family restaurant that still operates today in Arkansas. I know they had one thing in their hearts when they came to our shores: they wanted a better life. Why, otherwise, make the harrowing journey over here? Why endure humiliation of Elis Island officials changing our last name? Why suffer anti-Catholic hatred at the hands of KKK? Why go through all of that, if there wasn’t something here that they wanted for my grandfather, my dad, and for me? My family moved here because they had a dream of safety and a dream that we could dream at all.
And really, THIS BLOG?! It was a dream for so long. For YEARS. And now it’s real! Because I live in this country, had the FREEDOM to pursue my dream. And make no mistake, I live in this country because of the BRAVERY of my great grandparents who came here with nothing.
So, today, I celebrate America, land of the free and home of the brave because of my family of immigrants, not because of those who hold elected office right now.
America is a place where young women like me can go and get whatever we want. We can fight against prejudice, we can say #metoo, we can start businesses, we can start families, we can be the breadwinners, we can be teachers, lawyers, doctors, we can really and truly do ANYTHING we want. We can paint, we can skydive, we can drive a car, we can VOTE, we can choose who to be with, we can be INDEPENDENT.
So for Independence Day, I am celebrating being independent, running this business, and above all, being grateful for the people who brought me here and gave me the chance to build my dreams.
xx
Antigone.