IF YOU took a snapshot of any moment in our country’s history, there is a hurt we were trying to heal. The same is true today. It’s our independence that lets us correct our wrongs, to heal, and to build our country up for a more perfect union. We can all be made by the same Creator and still land somewhere red, white, or blue. We can be different. That is the beauty of independence. This land is your land; this land is my land.
We can be better because of the people in our communities. Those who allow us to be independent provide an open field. We can run for miles into the unknown, and while it’s scary, we know we are capable of whatever waits on the other side. We can run with the wind to our backs, hitting the ground to the beat of drums and trumpets that empower us. The same trumpets that rang as we fought a Civil War to keep a country together with human rights for those of every skin color. The same drums that banged as we flew to Europe to end the Second World War. The same trumpets that helped us stand tall in September 2001. We’re a country with the strength to hold each other up in 2020, even if it was through latex gloves.
While perfection will always be impossible to attain, it’s our duty to fight for it every day — to get closer to the threshold of freedom and equality for everyone. Independence is a blessing that paints a beautiful picture of blues and reds that, when you pull away, make a purple you can only find between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
This issue of Good News highlights those in our community who make us better. It’s their independence — and the fight to obtain it — that makes us who we are. GN
