My Red, White, and Blue

  • 3 months ago
by Alana Tyson
illustrated by London Ladd
Transcript
00:00My Red White and Blue. Written by Alana Tyson. Illustrated by London Lad. For Aidan, Eli and Izzy, my inspirations. May you always find strength in your voices. At. To all the fatherly and brotherly figures in my life. I wouldn't be the man I am without each one of you. Thank you.
00:30LL. This is my flag it represents me. A symbol of freedom and hopes what I see. Am American born, my family is too. So we show off our pride waving red white and blue. Our flag greets our neighbors and strangers and friends. It jumps in the breeze as it waves and extends. A hearty salute every morning is due as I ride in to learn some things old and some new.
00:59From the bus I wave hi to the people I know. Mr. Ming in his shop, Dr. Smith on the go. My flag is theirs too and I'm happy to share. Our community's strong full of people who care. At Circle, we're different as different can be. Miss King says our flag promotes diversity.
01:21Your teacher is right, said my grandpa to me. But there's also much more to that flags history. He said long long ago when his dad was we small. Old glory did not represent us at all with her beautiful stripes and those twinkling white stars. America's history left long lasting scars.
01:43While our flag can mean promise and refuge and glory for some folks it tells a complete different story. While she waves in the wind and invites all to stay there were many who didn't see things quite that way. The North and the South were divided in view. One side wanted freedom for all, not a few. And when the North won, millions yelled, we are free. But then came a new wave.
02:14For equality. Many stood in the streets, brave and calm for the fight asking only for change and demanding their rights. After sit-ins and marches and protests and songs today we still fight and there's march that's still wrong. So when the flag flies, some decide not to praise. Instead they refuse in a number of ways.
02:38A fist in the air, kneeling down on one knee. A silent head bow while they sit quietly. There's no justice for all, so we choose not to stand. We will not sing the anthem, we won't raise our hands. A protest that's silent, yet public and grand. A message that many may not understand.
03:01Grandpa said, child, it is their right not to sing but there's lots bout that flag and the pride it can bring. Obama and Tubman going smart in and parks. They helped shape this country and all left their marks. My ancestors helped make America great. That's a matter of fact, and there is not debate.
03:24An entire museum in D.C. tells our story. How we're weaved in each stitch of that faded old glory. Still, showing your pride might sometimes seem though. On days like that no, what you feel is enough. To praise our flag, grandpa said is a choice. It's for you to decide, it's how you use your voice. So at school, and at games, and wherever I can.
03:54I choose to salute with my heart and my hand. In my ancestors' dream, what they hoped to be true. A brown child who'd find pride in the red, white, and blue. Authors note.
04:07Patriotism in the black community. For as long as there has been a United States of America, there has been inequality for black people within it. Even after the civil rights movement which resulted in more rights of black people in this country, things weren't really equal.
04:26Starting in 2013, a movement called Black Lives Matter brought greater attention to this ongoing issue especially to the deaths of many black people at the hands of law enforcement. The leaders of this movement demanded to know why the United States wasn't doing more to prevent racism. More and more, black communities were losing faith in the country's ability to honor the line in our constitution that states
04:56all men are created equal many black people didn't feel equal at all they struggled to find their patriotic voice and amid layers of injustice. In 2016, a football played named Colin Kaepernick refused to salute the American flag during the national anthem. Instead, he stood up for black communities and the need for racial justice by kneeling in a silent protest.
05:23Kaepernick was not demonstrating hate for the flag. He was simply hoping society would take notice and listen and understand and that people who looked like him needed to be heard. Other athletes have used their fame to highlight social inequality too. In 1968, Tommy Smith and John Carlos, two black track and field Olympic athletes made a statement just like Kaepernick's.
05:50During the national anthem while receiving their medals they bowed their heads and raised gloved fists in the air calling attention to the need for racial equality in the United States. The iconic photo is one of the most recognized images in American sports history. In an interview years later, Smith stated that their action wasn't about the flag itself at all instead they had simply used a moment and a public stage to point out a problem.
06:20It was a cry for freedom and for human rights. We had to be seen because we couldn't be heard said Smith. For all there of these men, their acts were courageous but costly. Kaepernick was fired from the NFL. Smith and Carlos were banned from the Olympics and suspended from the US team and their medals and endorsements were taken away.
06:4551 years later in November, 2019, Smith and Carlos were inducted into the US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame, a decision made by the US Olympic Committee that also served as a public apology. But while some black people may choose a silent protest, others are comfortable with publicly embracing their American heritage and displaying patriotism.
07:11There are so many black civil rights leaders, politicians, inventors, historians, educators, veterans, and artists who give black American plenty of reasons to express pride not just in black history, but in American history as a whole and that is definitely worth celebrating.
07:31Whether it's saluting the flag engaging is a silent protest or finding some other way to use your voice, know that your unique voice has power and it's up to use it in the way that feels best to you. The end.