There’s nothing inherently wrong with love for country. We’ve all shown devotion to something that was flawed and occasionally dysfunctional (a relationship, a company, a church, etc.). My desire has never been to influence people to hate this country in any way. On the contrary, I’ve hoped to encourage people to at least be educated enough to be able to be honest about what this country's powerful people and systems have done historically (and still do) to natives, citizens, and immigrants in order to achieve the prosperity and freedom that America is known for.
In the spirit of honesty, I think it’s important for us to admit that when we celebrate American Independence Day, we’re also celebrating what it took for this country to become independent (the same way us as Christians not only celebrate Resurrection Sunday, aka Easter, but also celebrate what it took for that day to become special). When it came to achieving American independence, it took a group of people deciding they were tired of being controlled, manipulated, and exploited by the oppressive forces and systems of Great Britain, which ultimately led them to organize a revolt that consisted of vandalism (i.e. The Boston Tea Party) and violence (i.e. The American Revolution).
With that in mind, for all the patriotic Americans who annually celebrate Independence Day, I hope that in the coming years as you continue to see other groups of people trying to fight for freedom and justice against oppressive forces and systems (similar to those imposed on Americans by Great Britain in the late 1700s), if you find yourself having thoughts of harsh criticism or condemnation towards the manner in which those people are trying to produce positive change, please take a moment to remember and consider the legacy of unlawful, violent actions that were taken by those who fought for America to gain the Independence you proudly and unapologetically commemorate every 4th of July—because it's inconsistent for us to claim to be fundamentally against destructive and violent forms of protest and rebellion as we continue to annually celebrate those very acts in the name of American patriotism.
