We are in a new world. The order of everything has turned upside down. There is strife everywhere – it is all around us. Growing racial tensions, global health concerns, and family arrangements forced into coping with a new structure – all these changes have led us into a new and unchartered world.
Our ancestors sought a new life in an unchartered world. They flocked to a new country seeking freedom from oppression. Our forefathers set forth to create a governing structure for these freedoms yet they fell short. They failed to address bondage and slavery. So the freedom they procured for the new Nation did not serve the whole, it missed its mark. Think of how different our world would be if back then there was no distinction between black and white and brown. Just think, if our ancestors were color blind while settling the New World, and the freedoms the Fathers brought forth applied to all mankind — I imagine the humanity of our Nation would have been such a rich tapestry instead of the torn and tattered cloth we have today. Alas, this is not the story history tells.
The magnificent work of art, the Pulitzer-prize winning play Hamilton created by Lin-Manual Miranda, is now experiencing worldwide exposure by the act of Disney bringing it directly to your living room. Yes, history books have told the story but not nearly as clearly or as concise as the voice of this contemporary poet. And the casting! The brilliance of seeing all races and creeds fulfilling the various roles was more than just genius, it was a testimony. Just think if our forefathers had applied the freedoms they sought to ALL — perhaps there would have been a black Thomas Jefferson in the pages of our history.
I am no longer thinking about how this is all going to end; I am now of the mindset that it must end here and now. 2020 is a right year for this to occur. As we begin a new decade and face challenges to the likes of which we have never seen – let’s begin building a new nation full of tolerant, loving and color blind people; a nation where ALL lives matter.