Election 2020 written on this day 2018

Someone asked what does it mean to be an American, this is my answer For me being an American means understanding the complexity of the history of my country. Being a Constitution carrying citizen who knows that she was fully denied the words in that document when it was written, but believing I too have the inalienable rights. Being an American is to understand I am three people at all times, Black, woman, and American. And that these three are rarely in sync. I believe in the ideals of this nation and condemn the manner in which we obtain them. I am as American as an American can be, void of any connection to a former land and people, I speak the American language of Black Vernacular English, I listen to American Hip hop and American rock n roll. I grew up learning American tap dance. I read American writers like Nikki, Maya, and Toni. I wear American cornrows in my head. I believe in We the People, even though I was considered property when those words touched paper. I am the dream of those of my family that were enslaved and the nightmare of those in my family who enslaved. I am an American.