Black patriotism (a proud supporter or defender of his or her country and its way of life)
Hmmm. Is it an oxymoron, given the strained relationship that many black people have with the U.S.? With all the hoopla over the Rev. Wright sermon where he so passionately stated that “God damn America!!” To love America, does one have to hate everyone else? I say, no, on both counts. You do not have to accept everything a country does as good and right to love it, just as a mother doesn’t stop loving her son if he gets in a fight in school or gets caught stealing candy at a corner store.
Speaking from my own point of view, I love America. I love the freedoms I enjoy, the diversity that I’m steeped in everyday. I love that I can go to whatever church, synagogue, mosque or temple I choose. I love that I can go to school for free, if I fall on hard times I have unemployment insurance. I can marry whomever I choose. My cup really runneth over. HOWEVER….. I do not love the fact that America is responsible for the rape and murder of men, women and children in Iraq, Afghanistan and formerly Vietnam, and a host of other countries if you believe some of the theories regarding our foreign policy. I do not love the racist, sexist, homophobic and change resistant infrastructure that still exists within this country, in the media, the government and business. I am not blind. I am not naive. Race is a problem in this country and it has yet to be adequately addressed, but we’re working on it. Poverty is a serious problem in this country, a generational issue that is seemingly inexorably linked to race and gender, but it is not a lost cause.
I love this country, not because it is perfect, but because it is mine. I love this country because my ancestors have put their blood and tears into this place and we are a product of it. I am no more African, than I am European, than I am Native American-all of which contribute to my genetic make-up. I am American like Jazz, like apple pie, like Hip-Hop, baseball, protest, Black Panthers, and Memphis Barbeque. I love the process, the opportunity for change and our bright future. I am Black. I am American. I am a patriot.
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