If I might, Nikole Hannah-Jones and her father who flew the American flag:
"My dad always flew an American flag in our front yard. The blue paint on our two-story house was perennially chipping; the fence, or the rail by the stairs, or the front door, existed in a perpetual state of disrepair, but that flag always flew pristine. Our corne…
If I might, Nikole Hannah-Jones and her father who flew the American flag:
"My dad always flew an American flag in our front yard. The blue paint on our two-story house was perennially chipping; the fence, or the rail by the stairs, or the front door, existed in a perpetual state of disrepair, but that flag always flew pristine. Our corner lot, which had been redlined by the federal government, was along the river that divided the black side from the white side of our Iowa town. At the edge of our lawn, high on an aluminum pole, soared the flag, which my dad would replace as soon as it showed the slightest tatter...
"So when I was young, that flag outside our home never made sense to me. How could this black man, having seen firsthand the way his country abused black Americans, how it refused to treat us as full citizens, proudly fly its banner? I didn’t understand his patriotism. It deeply embarrassed me...
"Like most young people, I thought I understood so much, when in fact I understood so little. My father knew exactly what he was doing when he raised that flag. He knew that our people’s contributions to building the richest and most powerful nation in the world were indelible, that the United States simply would not exist without us."
And when Colin Kaepernick took a knee, many saw it as disrespectful of the flag. I saw it as the opposite, that Colin was saying those who were glorifying the flag and what it represented were the ones who were being disrespectful. Just my opinion.
That is one of the most beautiful comments I have read and it brought tears to my eyes. Your dad was right. The flag is both a symbol and a promise. Trump made a mockery of both when he wrapped himself in it like it was a costume. Thank you for sharing this poignant and powerful story.
This story is beautiful. My dear husband was Black, from Louisiana, passed a year ago after a stroke, but to hear him tell of his childhood, changes that have come about that he never dreamed would happen… It’s definitely a massive tapestry of life across this entire nation, and actually all over the globe… To further what’s right for each and every individual. That tapestry isn’t going to look too fine— will not display a unified image— if it’s tugged and pulled and has holes and threads heading off on their own… eye on the prize!
If I might, Nikole Hannah-Jones and her father who flew the American flag:
"My dad always flew an American flag in our front yard. The blue paint on our two-story house was perennially chipping; the fence, or the rail by the stairs, or the front door, existed in a perpetual state of disrepair, but that flag always flew pristine. Our corner lot, which had been redlined by the federal government, was along the river that divided the black side from the white side of our Iowa town. At the edge of our lawn, high on an aluminum pole, soared the flag, which my dad would replace as soon as it showed the slightest tatter...
"So when I was young, that flag outside our home never made sense to me. How could this black man, having seen firsthand the way his country abused black Americans, how it refused to treat us as full citizens, proudly fly its banner? I didn’t understand his patriotism. It deeply embarrassed me...
"Like most young people, I thought I understood so much, when in fact I understood so little. My father knew exactly what he was doing when he raised that flag. He knew that our people’s contributions to building the richest and most powerful nation in the world were indelible, that the United States simply would not exist without us."
https://courageousconversation.com/the-1619-project/
And when Colin Kaepernick took a knee, many saw it as disrespectful of the flag. I saw it as the opposite, that Colin was saying those who were glorifying the flag and what it represented were the ones who were being disrespectful. Just my opinion.
That is one of the most beautiful comments I have read and it brought tears to my eyes. Your dad was right. The flag is both a symbol and a promise. Trump made a mockery of both when he wrapped himself in it like it was a costume. Thank you for sharing this poignant and powerful story.
This story is beautiful. My dear husband was Black, from Louisiana, passed a year ago after a stroke, but to hear him tell of his childhood, changes that have come about that he never dreamed would happen… It’s definitely a massive tapestry of life across this entire nation, and actually all over the globe… To further what’s right for each and every individual. That tapestry isn’t going to look too fine— will not display a unified image— if it’s tugged and pulled and has holes and threads heading off on their own… eye on the prize!
Dear Katherine,
I’m sorry for your loss… your husband saw and lived so much, what a time was his!
We ce