Americanism is not pride in America itself, but it is loving America for its flaws; it’s loving America for being imperfect.
Earlier in the summer, I applied for a scholarship to help with my finances for college. I attend Claremont McKenna College, which costs ~$70,000 a year, so this little brown girl does everything she can to afford an amazing education from the nation’s 3rd best liberal arts college. This scholarship, however, asked me to answer the question, “What does Americanism mean to you?” Below is my essay I wrote for this question, which at first seemed so simple to respond to, but as I wrote I understood how complex the answer could be. Even if you do not agree with me politically, I hope you enjoy this read.
I often wonder why 2 isn’t my favorite number. I’ve lived in 2 houses my whole life. I’m fortunate to have 2 parents who want the best for me. I have 2 dogs. I consider home to be in 2 different states. Oh, and I’ve always had two identities. When people ask, “what’s your ethnicity?” I always respond with,“I’m Mexican-American.” I grew up in a world of two. I learned the “American” traditions and the “Mexican” traditions. I can eat hamburgers and hot dogs, or arroz con pollo and frijoles a la charra with my family. I learned balance. My whole life I have walked on a balance beam. I have learned patience and focus; I have learned to hold my breath, so I don’t fall onto the mat of stereotypes or discrimination.
There are people who live here, who believe that we need to “make America great again.” In my eyes, they care more about what America looks like to the outside world than caring about what we need to do inside these borders to fix our flaws and imperfections. Or those same people want the solutions to these issues to just be beneficial to them without understanding how their favor towards certain solutions could affect millions.
And, don’t get me wrong, our image is important. How we present ourselves to the outside world does matter. But in recent events, it is hard to claim to be “united” when many feel as though the divide is growing between us every day. Politically, economically, socially, even in our mentalities and morals, we are separating. The division we clearly see is our greatest imperfection, but it is the one we should be striving for to solve. I know it is hard to fix the people versus the problem, but our problem is the people. It is the people believing we are only a country because of our flag, our pledge, our borders, our landmarks etc. My hope is, after you have read this, that America is more than just symbols to you, and maybe it is a very small step towards understanding unison.
When I think of “Americanism,” and I mean, really think about it, I do not think of the broad stripes and the bright stars. I do not think of reciting the pledge or Lady Liberty.
When I think of “Americanism,” I think of choice. I think of opportunity and struggle. I think of the men and women who fight, and have fought, to protect us. I think of the colored people who inhabit these states and of the white people who coexist with us.
America, to me, in all honesty, is not always a nation to be proud of. We cannot afford to hide our flaws and mistakes our country has made, is making, or will make. Americanism is not pride in America itself, but it is loving America for its flaws; it’s loving America for being imperfect.
When you love an imperfect America you are instinctively driven to better that America. Americanism is the hard-working, courageous, and opportunistic people that are fighting to create an America they can love. Whether you claim to be fully American, half-American, or you are simply just living in America, you understand that there is a sense of duty in doing something to better your community and surroundings. I like to think this is what Americanism means. It is people who do not just agree with each other, or look exactly like each other, or who do the same jobs as each other. Americanism is about the people who are different and who can work alongside each other to create a place we can eventually be fully proud to live within.
Believing in this type of America is what makes me proud to claim the “-American” in my identity; this is what makes me proud to even say I have 2 identities. Whether you think my version is naïve or romanticized, I hope you understand what this piece was generally about: I’d rather live in an America that is broken, flawed, and that will take years to mend, than pretend to live in a land that believes we are great simply because we have a pledge and a written constitution.
Some will tell me, “well, we had to fight for those symbols in the first place,” and I do not disagree. However, just because we have earned those symbols does not mean we should stop fighting to be better; to be more than those symbols. I know I am fighting for opportunities at my private liberal arts school. I know I had the courage to move out to California. I know I am working every day to provide myself with the best resources possible, so that one day I could potentially hold a platform to make my voice and vision be heard.
Americanism is not about loving the red, white and blue. It is about loving all the colors within these states; the colors of people who are fighting and working every day to make this country one they can call home.