On this Memorial Day, it felt right to take a hike up East Rock and view the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It’s important to remember that Memorial Day is about something far more important than sneaking in the first summer BBQ of the season; its about paying homage and remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, defending America and everything it is and everything it stands for.
But this particular date, May 31, is the centennial for something else…something that is a dark malevolent stain upon an America that is still continuing to form a more perfect union. A century ago, a section of Tulsa, OK that had been dubbed “Black Wall St.” was set ablaze in one of the most violent acts of racist-inspired terrorism in American history. And probably most insidious of all is that this event was kept quiet and hidden, such that a vasty majority of people were unaware that it had even happened until 5-10 years ago. It was one of the most violent in a long line of racist, hatred-filled, acts by one group of one skin color against another, believing some ridiculous notion that skin color determines a hierarchy amongst human beings. And while it might be easy to think that that type of inhumane, and anti-human acts ended at the least with the Emancipation Proclamation, and at the best with the Civil Rights legislation of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as all the things that have come since, we still suffer from deeply rooted racism, sexism, and other forms of divisive discrimination that are held deep within our society, and our societal infrastructural norms.
As I stared at the monument today, I asked myself the question: Is America in 2021 an America that is worthy of the sacrifice of those we remember on Memorial Day? The answer is complicated. America has made impressive strides to live up to its founding promises; and furthering those promises beyond the limits of what was prescribed in 1776…equality for all people as an example. It was no mistake that the Declaration of Independence states very clearly “all men are created equal” and that America has gone further, working towards equality for all people with no exceptions or exclusions. There is a great deal of what America has become that is worth the sacrifice of those whom we remember this Memorial Day.
But in the preamble to the Constitution, the most important document of our governance, and arguably the most important document to our Americanism, there exists the following line: “to create a more perfect union.” That statement in itself implies that the process is exponential, with no clear definition of the end goal, but more of an homage to the journey with which we will take to achieve that goal. Perfection in itself is not something that is really achieved; its more something that is sought after for a long period of time. America is an on-going experiment and we have not accomplished true equality for all……yet. There is still much work to be done. But the on-going, imperfect experiment is also worth defending. Because America is defined by that very on-going experiment.
So the answer to the question is yes, but there is a caveat. The thing that would be equal parts indefensible and a slap in the face of those we honor today, would be to sit back and think that the America we have is good enough and we can stop trying to be better. We must continue to build an America that is an America for everyone. And as long as it’s not good enough for everyone, there is still work to be done.