The Pledge of Allegiance Feels Right Again

I pledged allegiance to the flag the other day — something that until fairly recently, I had not realized I had stopped doing.

I  can’t tell you exactly when I stopped saying the Pledge, and more to the point, stopped believing in the words. However, I do know that by the time John Carlos and Tommie Smith took their iconic stance on the Olympic medal podium in Mexico City in 1968, I had already gone mute whenever that other ubiquitous show of public patriotism, the National Anthem, was played.

Of course, those were the passions of 15-year-old youngster who had felt the sting of Jim Crow in the South, had tasted the bitterness of de facto segregation in the North, and was angry. And as I grew older and began to witness real progress in race relations in my country and in my personal interactions, this attitude mellowed.

For the last 35 years or more I never gave much thought to standing respectfully for the recitation of the Pledge before the opening of a government meeting, or getting to my feet and removing my hat when the National Anthem was played before the start of a ball game. My actions were automatic, done on an almost subconscious level. But my lips stayed motionless.

So it came as a complete surprise when a little more than 18 months ago, during a city council meeting, I became aware of the fact that I was standing with my right hand laid over my heart and the words —  "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America..." — coming from my mouth.

What’s more, for the first time since I was in elementary school, I believed the words I was reciting: "with liberty and justice for all."

My re-embrace of the Pledge of Allegiance — and by extension, the American promise as laid out by the Founding Fathers — is largely connected to the election of Barack Obama.

You see, for years, I didn't believe — at least in my lifetime — that America would mature to the point where a man or woman would truly be judged by the content of his or her character, and not by the mere color of his or her skin. But then came the Obama campaign, and the sight of Americans of all races and backgrounds getting passionately behind, campaigning for, and then voting to make an African-American president.

How dare I be so small-minded, cynical and resentful as to have given up so easily on this great ongoing experiment in democracy, on this one nation indivisible?

That's not to say that Obama's election somehow signals the end of racism. If anything, the ever-increasing acrimony, anger and thinly veiled racism playing out across the country in ugly protests — thanks to groups like the Tea Party that "want to take our country back" — underscore how much work remains to be done.

Since Obama entered the White House, we've seen a surge in the growth of white supremacist militia groups that view blacks, immigrants, Muslims and gays as the problem. According to a study done by the Southern Poverty Law Center, there was a 244% increase in the number of active Patriot/militia groups in 2009. Their numbers grew from 149 groups in 2008 to 512 groups in 2009, a shocking explosion of 363 new groups in just one year.

In addition, there's been a surge in what SPLC termed “nativist extremist” groups spewing vitriol at suspected immigrants while demanding more draconian immigration policy.

Clearly the rhetoric is becoming more heated and ugly. Most worrisome is that such intolerance isn't just being voiced by those on the fringe, but also from so-called political leaders like U.S. Rep Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Rep. Joe “You Lie” Wilson (R-SC), and from those who have been given a national soapbox, like Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin.

The cancer of intolerance and prejudice is still gnawing away at America's soul, and racial tensions and misunderstanding remain a constant of our national discourse.

That was certainly the case in 1993, when I was one of several writers who contributed to the Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of race printed in the Akron Beacon Journal, "A Question of Color." In that year-long series, we brought together people from across northeastern Ohio of all races, backgrounds, ages and experiences to share their views on race and racism among themselves and with our readers.

That experience underscored what I had already learned from my years as a reporter: talking candidly and honestly about issues — especially race — bridges gaps.

As much as racism is a political issue, it's even more so a moral issue, one that plays out in our daily experiences and interactions. To save America’s soul we must first heal our own souls. None of us is immune to prejudice, nor totally free of “isms” — racism, sexism, ageism, elitism — or above being cynical and small-minded.

That is why sites like Change.org’s Race in America are key in building bridges to span the racial divide — by shining a light on issues and problems; by sparking honest conversation and by providing vehicles for action.

I’m positive that America will come to terms with its tortured history and will see the end of racism. When is still the question, but what is certain is that America has crossed a historic threshold. At last, children of all races can truly believe in what for years has been an American myth — that anyone born in this country can grow up to be president.

It's been more than a year since that city council meeting where I felt moved again to make the Pledge. At times, I still find myself marveling at the fact that I can recite those words while being joyously and humbly struck by the notion that I’m finally part of this great American family, and the fact that the Pledge no longer carries an asterisk for me.

The other afternoon as I stood in the stands of a high school stadium, the Stars and Stripes snapping in a brisk breeze, saying the Pledge of Allegiance with my hand placed over my heart, I thought to myself, not for the first time: "This feels right."

Photo Credit: stevendepolo