ALPERN AT LARGE-(Delivered at the Nuncaville County Courthouse, State of Maryland, Flag Day, June 14th, 2015):
As 44th President of these United States, I am reminded that on this Flag Day we stop to celebrate a symbol that not only represents all of us, but the best of us. We take our Flag for granted, yet we have fought and bled for it; many have even died for it. We have the right to step on or even burn our flag, yet we also have the responsibility to cherish and pledge allegiance to our Flag...and the country, for which it stands.
Our Flag has both the colors of red and blue prominently featured within its tapestry, so that if our nation is at times divided into "Red America" and "Blue America" then we can all take heart in the vital inclusion of both segments of our American nation. The red signifies hardiness and valor, and the blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice.
And as for the white in our flag, which signifies purity and innocence, it does not suggest that there has ever, is ever, or will ever be a "White America". This nation, from its very beginning was founded by the blood, sweat and toil of Americans of all creeds and ethnic backgrounds--be they Native Americans, Europeans, Africans, Latinos or Asians.
As historically-warring segments of a frequently-divided American nation, we fought, we bled, and we grieved, in a never-ending struggle that no one side could ever hope to win, and no one side can ever hope to win.
Yet when the rest of the world beholds us it sees not only a flag of red, white and blue but a tapestry enriched with the best of all of us, with a diversity of racial, geographical, and philosophical backgrounds that the rest of the world cannot ever hope to achieve.
As a person of both European and African descent, I am reminded that my identity is now entirely American, and that the future of this nation lies in those who identify as an American over any other ethnic, political, or any other personal description.
Be it our friends and our enemies, the world has seen us fight and die in wars here at home and abroad, and the world has seen our Flag unfurl as a sign of independence, of defiance, and of comfort in the face of evil aggressors and in the aftermath of natural disasters.
Whether it was at nearby Fort McHenry, Maryland, where our national anthem was composed during the War of 1812, or whether it was among the forces who struggled and died at Gettysburg and other Civil War battlegrounds, or whether it was lifted by our heroic men and women of the Armed Forces in every region of this planet, our Flag flies proud as one of the greatest symbols of what humanity can accomplish.
There are no white Americans, no black Americans, no Latino Americans, and no Asian Americans.
There are only Americans--and whether it is our technological, economic, military or cultural accomplishments, the world sees but three colors to be found in each and every one of us.
Those colors are the red, white, and blue that runs through our very beings, and the colors for which we all happily share in our cherished Flag.
I wish you all a wonderful Flag Day, and I hope that you will all stop for a moment to think about all that our ancestors have done, and what we can do, and what we want our children to do, in order to represent all that our Flag means and stands for.
God bless you all, and God Bless America.
(Ken Alpern is a Westside Village Zone Director and Board member of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Planning and Outreach Committees, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee. He is co-chair of the CD11Transportation Advisory Committee and chairs the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at [email protected] He also does regular commentary on the Mark Isler Radio Show on AM 870, and co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Mr. Alpern.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 49
Pub: Jun 16, 2015
