In this essay from 2020, Yaya J. Fanusi argues that the struggle for equality does not mean you have to anti-patriotic. At a time when many on both sides of the pond seem to think otherwise, this offers some timely insights into some positive aspects of patriotism:
‘We as African Americans have debated views about patriotism for a long time. And for decades, the winning conclusion stood that outward patriotism, while uncomfortable for some, was a nod to our progress and investment in this nation. If anything, it pointed to a reconciliation that American ideals and institutions were worth standing for, America’s warts and all. Ralph Ellison voiced this well in 1970 when he argued that black Americans are not a separate “other” in this country. Rather, America-ness is intertwined in the history of its black people.’
Photo Credit: Cooper Baumgartner, Unplash