“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”
In elementary school, I remember that we stood at the beginning of each day and with solemnity recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. On Flag Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day, flags hung from the windows of homes on our block and surrounding neighborhoods. Sadly, the stars and stripes seem to have been kidnapped by the few who have no tolerance for people who do not look like, share the same beliefs, or think as they do. They seem to ignore the last phrase of the Allegiance— “…one nation under God with liberty and justice for all” (Italics are mine).
The malevolence of a few must not be the only message of our flag. We must continue to own it even though there are serious challenges of justice to be overcome and heinous systems to be dismantled. The flag is a symbol of high ideals and a vision that reflects the desire for a better life for humankind. Despite the flaws of our country, we still strive to be “…one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
The fifty stars against the dark blue background and the thirteen red and white stripes mark the design of our national banner that declares that our freedoms, our opportunities, and better living conditions for all will necessitate continuous striving. Someone astutely declared, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” The darkness of hatred, discrimination, poverty, and other ills are present, but the fifty stars burst forth as symbols of light that exist in every state of the Union. Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Island Americans, and European Americans have all contributed to the growth of the United States of America. Blood, sweat and tears have fertilized the vision of the republic for which our flag is a symbol. Though our country struggles with the existence of atrocities on its soil, the flag speaks to our continuing evolution as the United States of America. The constitutional vision for our nation is expansive, and human beings, even with good intentions, too often succumb to the lure of self-centered strivings. But under inspiration beyond ourselves that compels us to love our neighbor, to seek justice and the belief that all humans have the right to certain inalienable rights, we reach for the possibility that seems impossible.
The Flag (Old Glory, Stars and Stripes Forever) represents all the people of the United States of America.
Dorothy Watson Tatem, D.Min., ACC
Senior Associate
Next Step Associates, LLC
Cassandra W. Jones, Ed.D.
CEO & President
Recent Comments