Birthday wishes for America approaching 250.

I'm old enough to remember the Bicentennial Celebrations of 1976.

It felt like we celebrated all summer long! There were public service announcements on TV, commemorative coins, special logos, flags everywhere, speeches, parades, and fireworks. I felt so proud to be an American! We were the city on the hill, the beacon of democracy for the world!

The founding fathers - and our fathers - had fought for something important. Freedom - that most precious commodity. And as I stepped into the future, I knew it was my civic responsibility to honor and uphold their legacy.

I remember thinking, what an honor it was to be an American, to be part of this grand, experimental melting pot of people, ruled by law, not by kings. A law that guaranteed all the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

As I waved my American flag high above my head, listened to the National Anthem, and watched the fireworks, I remember pride swelling my chest and tears pressing against my eyelids.

Of course, I'm a grown-up now. Fifty years have changed me, and it's changed my country.

As an adult, I clearly see that the foundation our country was built on only really guaranteed freedom to the wealthy, white men.
That this so-called beacon of democracy is the only country to ever decimate a population with the fury of an atomic bomb. Twice. And that our fathers fought too many wars in too many places over the years.

But for many years, my pride at being an American was still firmly in place. We could not claim a perfect track record, but I believed we were still striving toward the goal of freedom, equality, and democracy.

But as we approach this year's upcoming 250th birthday celebration, all I feel is exhaustion and sadness. The emotions seem to resonate from every pore of this country. Because the unthinkable has happened. We're no longer fighting towards the lofty goal of equality for all; we're trying not to lose any more ground to the kings of the world.

So, what is the point of this post?

I guess I just want to say that I wish future generations well. I hope that today's children still gather under the banner of equality, that they will build something better than we ever managed to do. Most of all, I want that pre-teen in 2076 to feel that same pride that I did.