I’m not very proud of this country right now. If anything I’m embarassed to be American. Our government barely works, and often works against us. Half our citizens are blinded by hatred and bigotry. Corporations take advantage of us on a daily basis. As a collective people we let it happen.
However, there are a lot of people and groups that I am proud of. There are good people in our government who are working to change things for the better. Who seek improvements for all people over their own self-interest. There are millions of good American citizens working hard to be good people, make a living, and raise a decent family. There are people out there who from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep all they do is fight for the rights of the oppressed and the marginalized. Doctors and nurses savings lives. Teachers shaping our childrens’ future. Artists making the world a more beautiful and interesting place. Those are the kinds of people I try to remember on this day. They are the America I’m proud of.