Reply to off topic What is an American?

May 18, 2004

We are old, we are young, we are black, we are white, we are yellow, we are

brown, we are female, we are male, we are gay & lesbian, we are even

trans-gendered. We are Democrat, we are Republican, we are Independent, (oh,

yes we are Green Party too). We have come from the near East and the far

corners of the world and continue to do so. Many of us came by choice, some of

us in chains - each of us brought our customs, our language, our heritage and

our culture with us. Some of us were here before the early Europeans; native

Americans, Eskimos, Hawaiians (sp). We are educated and have health insurance

(or not), we are employed in jobs that give us joy & satisfaction (or not). We

live in cities, the country, the suburbs, the east or west coast, north or south

(we even have dialects that represent the different areas we have grown up in).

We are vast, we are many, we are different, we share similarities. We are

Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Moslem, Atheist, Agnostic, Pagan and probably

others too many to name. The sharing of our values and customs and diversity

have made us richer as a nation. Inclusiveness requires not just awareness,

but understanding and respect of cultural differences & dis-similarities.

I don't think it odd that this topic has come up given we are celebrating the

50th anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education, or the allowing of gay &

homosexual marriage in Massachusetts. We are being challenged to think not only

of what it means to be an American - but what it means to be fully human. You

may question the former, but the latter is undeniable and includes each and

every single one of us - regardless of boundaries.

Namaste,

Lynette

Terralyn at the Terminal,

Philadelphia, PA

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