O say, can you see?
We are waiting to see if the flag of democracy still flies. But if all we do is wait, we are likely to see the sun rise over the end of this grand experiment in government by consent of the governed.
For over two decades now, my field has been higher education, and this is our season of commencement ceremonies. This spring we were able to hold many of those ceremonies in person again, recognizing the resilience and persistence of students completing degrees through pandemic-induced disruptions. Joy shines on the faces of graduates, their families and loved ones, sweet enough to bring tears to my eyes. I’m a predictable cryer at these moving events.
One moment this weekend, though, my own tears truly surprised me. Out on the football field, something like a thousand students in their rows and regalia, our university’s band director raised his voice to sing the national anthem. He sang beautifully, managing the challenging range with grace and strength.
And the tears came. Not due to that lovely voice, so much, as to the memory of another moment, a little over eighteen months prior, when the threat to our country was real, violent, and broadcast on the airwaves. The memory of the urgency of waiting for the smoke to clear, waiting to see if our democracy’s flag still waved.
We are still waiting. The broadcast hearings of the Select Panel examining the insurrection on January 6, 2021, tell us that clearly. The arrest of a group of white supremacist terrorists gathering with riot gear near a Pride event in Idaho tells us that. The continued inaction on the part of elected officials in the face of violent attacks at schools, places of worship, and places of daily life, tells us that. The attempts to control reproductive choices, limit voting, gerrymander districts, and gleefully set up single-party rule tells us that.
We are waiting to see if our land will remain free for all members of our human family, for children and women, for LGBTQ folk, for Black and indigenous folk, for ALL.
We must continue to work for the democracy that honors all, includes all, and cherishes all life. Because if all we do is wait, we are likely to see the sun rise over the end of this grand experiment in government by consent of the governed.
Be safe and well, do the work, with the persistence and resilience worthy of the class of 2022.