As such, our country is among the freest nations on earth our citizens enjoy tremendous liberty thanks to the way our government was set up by the founders. My father, a product of the Great Depression and World War II, stressed the importance that nothing is given to you you have to work hard for success. More so, it is about the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as upward mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work and commitment. Army colonel, former Vancouver city councilorĪs a young boy I learned the meaning of our Four th of July and the Declaration of Independence from my father, a career naval officer, and through participation in Cub Scouts.įreedom for me, like many others in our country, is all about democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity and equality. We won’t experience true freedom until the freedom of others doesn’t threaten our own. We’ve caused our own suffering by not caring more for each other. Focusing on our own individual freedoms, autonomy and quality of life has made us angry, entitled, fearful, greedy, depressed and addicted. If someone must ask permission to do things needed to survive - eat, sleep, use the restroom - they are not free. Freedom seems to be enjoyed only by those able to pay for it. In fact, I watch unsheltered human beings be herded, like cattle, from one block to the next at the request of those with money, prope rty, power or influence. To be young again, right? Today, I don’t see us taking care of our tired, poor and homeless. I felt fortunate to live in a place that valued and embodied traits like compassion, empathy and acceptance, and took care of its people while welcoming more in. I learned that our freedoms of speech, religion and so forth applied to everyone.Īs a young adult, I was moved to tears reading Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” while visiting the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/ The wretched refuse of your teeming shore./ Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me …”. Anyone could be whatever they wanted, and opportunities were limitless if I put in the effort. Homeless advocate and peer housing support at CVAB (Community Voices Are Born)Ī s a child, I learned that America was the freest place on Earth. While my culture and dress may be different than yours, I’m a father, a husband and a person.īut you should know that my Independence Day is Juneteenth. Still, I have hope that if we got to know our neighbors who are different from ourselves we would see them as a human beings first. People who don’t have freedom fight the hardest for it. More than any other race it has been Black people who have struggled to turn that lie into truth, although our country is pretty far from it right now. Is freedom the fear of living in the shadow of someone’s hate? Is freedom feeling persecuted by those who cling to a past that held people who look like me as slaves? Is freedom the feeling that police target my skin color? Is freedom a president who says white supremacists are good people too? America was founded on a lie that all men are created equal. ![]() ![]() “Buffalo Soldiers of the Pacific Northwest”į reedom for me is being able to go for a jog in the morning, or take my daughters for a walk, or drive to the store without worrying about being targeted by some cop or racist who doesn’t know me or can’t identify with me because we’re different.įreedom is all about having the right to be different.Īs a Black man living in a rural part of Clark County, I drive past a confederate flag every day and I’m reminded of that lack of appreciation of my freedom. ![]() Co-director and producer of the documentary film
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