Fourth of July Transformation: Celebrate, Contemplate, Activate

As progressives, we are fundamentally optimists. If we elect more progressive lawmakers, we can enact more progressive policies to right past wrongs and build a truly equitable and fair society for everyone.

Understanding our repressive past and current shortcomings, we believe our country to be capable of transformation for the good of all. Time and again, the American people rise to the challenge, changing our government and society for the better. When Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr., declared in his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, that America had defaulted on its promissory note of equality, he added, “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.”

I often quote the words of poet James Baldwin: “I love America more than any other country in the world, and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

Why? Because love of country, protest, and criticism of country are part and parcel of the same process of transformation, to make the words “We the People” truly inclusive and to take America’s promises seriously. It is often said that America is a complex idea, a conundrum of incompatibilities, a grand but unfinished experiment. Failures can be even more instructive than successes in showing a viable way forward.

“Love Wins” is a longtime slogan of the LGBTQIA+ community, a community all too familiar with the challenge of overcoming hatred and fear and misunderstanding. We are all stronger and more resilient when we approach this monumental task of transformation from the perspective of love: love of people, love of community, and yes, love of country. We are progressives and our actions, stemming from love, will eventually overcome the forces of hatred, fear, cruelty, and authoritarianism.

So, take some time today to celebrate the progress we’ve made, contemplate the work to be done, and begin anew to make a difference and foment the transformation we need.

In solidarity,

Debra Schrishuhn for the PDA National Team