Fourth Estate/Erica Munisar
What more is a symbol of our values than the American Flag?
BY AUGUST SCHMOLL, STAFF WRITER
“I told her that with all these American flags, people are gonna think she’s a Republican.”
Recently, I was walking out of a “Desserts with Democrats” social with a group of people in Charlotte, NC. The landscaping of the house where the social took place was covered with small American flags.
Right after that comment, a local county commissioner and I both stopped. We went on to have a great conversation about how we need to fly our nation’s flag.
Why is it like that? Why are we afraid to be proud of our nation? Why will we not show that we love our country? Why are we letting the party that attempted an insurrection and constantly moved to dismantle our political infrastructure hold captive our patriotism?
The United States of America is a great nation, with a flag symbolizing all the ideals the Democratic Party holds dear. A flag that symbolizes the right to be yourself, to say what you believe, and the freedom to make your own choices.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” These words are engraved on a statue of a tall green woman that serves as the most prominent symbol of this country, and they might as well be the mission statement of the Democratic Party.
If you look at the First Amendment, which our forefathers found most crucial to the survival and the success of our free state, the right to speech, to religion, to assemble and petition and to be informed by a free press.
The Democratic Party has continuously fought for all of these rights. In Tennessee, the Republican legislature banned drag in most public areas, and the Democratic Party fought back. In North Carolina, Republicans have pushed for restrictions on what constitutes the right to peacefully assemble, and Democrats have fought back.
Republicans constantly try to insert religion into public schools, and the Democratic Party continues to fight back. Republicans have attacked pillars of free press, such as the New York Times and NBC News, which have held our public officials accountable since their creation. Democrats have rarely leveled such attacks.
So now I ask my fellow Democrats, why are we letting our flag be the calling sign of one political party? I’ve talked with many Democrats I know, trying to understand why they will not fly their American flag. Some say they don’t know what the flag means anymore. So, let’s remind them.
It was the flag flown at Fort McHenry throughout the night to tell every American in Baltimore that our nation still stood as the British shells rained down upon them. It was the flag flown across Europe, letting all our brothers and sisters know they no longer had to fear the wrath of a ruthless fascist. It was the flag flown on nearly every doorstep across this nation following the Sept. 11 attacks. Moreover, it’s the flag flown at every fire station, where men and women wait for a call to run into a burning building to save countless lives.
Some say they don’t want people to mistake them for a Republican. The only way to change that is if we all start flying it. Those who say that they don’t have a passion for this nation, then they do not belong in this party.
This party is about creating a more perfect union. A Union that lives up to the ideals that it was founded on and the image we all had of it as kids. I, we are asking Americans to trust us to lead this nation; we better love it.
So I ask you, my fellow Democrat, to fly your American flag with me.
