My father-in-law, Lloyd Bryant, and his neighbors of about 30 years—Mr. Tommy and Mr. Herman—were outside, beaming. They asked when I was going to fly my American flag. “For the first time in my life, I am flying the American flag” Lloyd said as his daughter (my wife) pointed to the flag attached from the side of the house. Mr. Tommy, whose house is literally ten yards to the left, pointed to his American flag hanging on a pole smack dab in the middle of his front lawn. Not to be outdone, Mr. Herman, whose home is twenty yards to the right, talked of erecting a 30-foot pole to fly his American flag, “The size of the one at that school” he points. This is new to me because, see, we are African Americans..jpg)
What makes it more interesting is that I have taught U.S. History and U.S. Government (a required class) for several years now, yet I have never flown or purchased an American flag. I do not want to mislead you. Not buying a flag did not happen by accident. It is not like I just didn’t get around to buying a flag. I did not buy a flag because I have never been motivated to buy one. Really.
Let me say something many Black non-elected folks are feeling and can say because we are not as interested in the ramifications of being misunderstood: I have never been more proud of my country than at this point in my life! Personally, my Proud-o-Meter is pointed as far right as it can go. How proud? July 2008 (before the election!), my wife and I decided to name our newborn son, “Barack.” This year, Barack is going be decked out in red, white and blue.
Truthfully, I have never felt “pride” in my country. Some may wonder if the absence of pride means the presence of un-patriotism. That is, have we darker-skinned folks been harboring resentment against the United States for all these years since our emancipation up until somebody Black took office? Let me speak for my own “patriotism.”
I was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force with a Good Conduct Medal; served as a juror, rendering a verdict, thereby fulfilling the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution; I pay taxes; I also have the distinction of being the only person to have recited the entire U.S. Constitution from memory—all twenty-seven amendments to boot. Additionally, I vote and did so on November 4th 2008.
So, how can I explain this newfound pride to folks who have always had pride in this country? Often, one does not know a thing is absent until it is present. Some do not know what love is until they are loved. Likewise, many African Americans did not know what pride for country was until it stared them in the face in the late hours of November 4th 2008 (and some of us would not allow ourselves to believe it until January 20, 2009). We then believed that the U.S. is capable of anything, that the trajectory of this country is star-ward and the check was cleared—you know, that bounced check issued to America’s citizens of color that Dr. King shared about, marked “insufficient funds.” In electing Barack Obama, America has lived up to the first three words of its Constitution~ “We the people.” It actually is “we.” With this president, it is "self-evident that all men are created equal:" it is a Declaration of Inclusion for the world to see: People of color are truly included in the construction of this union—not just the backbreaking, back-alley bricklaying or the tap-dancing, touchdown making, talent-producing contributions—but also the intellectual ingenuity of its ideas, hopes and policies. It is like a fifty-first star has been added to the flag, shining brighter than all others.
In my life, I’ve been called “Ni**er,” told that “all Black people are on welfare,” randomly stopped by cops and was once made to get on my knees at the barrel of a 9mm police handgun; I still hear car doors automatically lock when I cross a street, was called “boy” in Virginia two years ago in front of my wife and son, am still asked for the location of various items at supermarkets by White people; and just recently, a white woman refused to push her button on an elevator until I answered her demand, “What floor?” This prejudice is based on superficial, perfidious distinctions, so occupying the office of President of the United States by a man with darker skin does much to undo the prima facie impression of inferiority. Oh, our star is shining brightly.
In a previous article, I wrote that one of my White Advanced Placement students wrote a hall pass for me to sign. When I checked it for date and time, he said, “They’re not going to check it. I’m White.” What he understood (White privilege) as a teenager in the microcosm of a school house will be a diminishing part of this American fabric. Not that I think that an Obama presidency will fix this or get the pendulum swinging in the direction toward Black Privilege (nor would I want that form of entitlement to prevail), but President Obama's new role is another, more official memo to our country that there is nothing inherently inferior about people of color.
Unfortunately, some still do not understand why many African Americans have a newfound pride in the United States of America. Well, after years of receiving a negative subtle message from America, the frequency has been changed. Many are still banging their receivers against walls. Others are rejoicing to see a “Brutha” in the highest office in the land. I know what I am going to do to celebrate this day.
This July 4th, I will do something I’ve never done. I am going to buy an American flag. I am going to post it in my classroom when the school year begins. I can only imagine what effect this glorious gesture will have on my teaching of Government and consequently my students' appreciation of and subsequent participation in democracy.
Although I know Independence Day is a celebration of our emancipation from King George, I will be hooting and hollerin’ for a different reason. I am proud of my country, and I know I am not the only one. I can tell you this, on July 4th 2009, me, my father’s buddies and countless others will probably never be so Black and so Proud!
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