*We are all American,
no matter what we look like and where we come from.
*In America,
families stick together, people look out for each other, and hard work should
be rewarded.
*It is not what
you look like or where you were born that makes you an American
*It’s how you
live your life and what you do that defines you here in this country
In
President Barack Obama's inaugural address, he declared: "Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear
witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the
promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together
is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our
names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our
allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two
centuries ago: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness.'"
In the last few weeks, I thought a great deal about my grandparents who
arrived in 1892 and 1905-1906, at a time when there were no quotas that limited
the number of people from their respective countries of origin (it was, most
likely, mainly Jews coming from Lithuania/Poland at that time - the quotas came
in 1924). Early in February, I watched a local DREAMer tell her story to
the local Catholic priests (in Las Cruces, NM) through her tears. I was
struck by a video of Native American man who, while taking part in a
demonstration for immigration reform, confronted protesters with the words
"I have been here for many, many centuries - YOU are illegal!"
All of these thoughts and expressions came together, after many
attempts, in the lyrics below, that waited for the right melody. This is
my statement about American identity in 2013, which, for me, is driven by
Leviticus 19:33-34: "When strangers reside with you in your land,
you shall not wrong them. The strangers who reside with you shall be to
you as your citizens, and you shall love each one as yourself, for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Eternal your God."
Justice, compassion and freedom are the value that, I hope, will guide us
as we consider how to make many more people living among us feel at home as
Americans, our neighbors, and fellow dreamers who will keep before our eyes a
vision of liberty enlightening the world.
Free (L. Karol –
Copyright 2/8/2013)
It’s not where we
come from
It’s not the
color of our skin
It’s not just the
faiths we live by
That makes us
American
It’s how we
treasure one another
It’s what we do,
the way we live
It’s working for
equality
That makes us
American
CHORUS:
So bless this
land with justice
Bless the people
with compassion
Make us proud of
what we can be
We are neighbors,
we are dreamers
Still learning
together
What it means to
be free, what it means to be free
It’s not the
closing of our borders
It’s not the fear
of the unknown
It’s not hatred
harbored in our hearts
That makes us
American.
It’s looking out
for each other
It’s holding out
a helping hand
It’s a pioneering
spirit
That makes us
American. CHORUS
Some of us are
truly recent arrivals
When some have
lived here thousands of years
When aspiring
citizens want to join our project in democracy
It’s not the time
to close our minds and drive them to tears
Can we overcome
our differences and reach an understanding
The possibility
of compromise makes us American
We’re a rainbow
of community when all is said and done
Our nation’s
founders put it best - Out of many One
CHORUS
What it means to
be free - what it means to be free
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