Langston Hughes, an American poet, wrote “Let America be America again”. After saying this at the beginning of his poem he points out why America has never fulfilled the dreams of so many. Equality and justice are not the reality now and never have been. The American dream has never been realized.
He pleads for a land where “Liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, but opportunity is real and life is free. Equality is in the air we breathe.” And yet, our history of slavery, of mass relocation of Indian peoples, deportation of desperate immigrants and the bondage of poverty has plagued us every step of the way.
America is further now from the dream than any time in my lifetime. Hughes spoke of a “great strong land of love where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme that any man be crushed by one above”
Thousands have taken to the street to protest the injustices and harm that are prevalent in daily life. People are dying in the cities where their voices are crushed and ignored. An outcry for the unhoused and hungry goes unresolved while millions of dollars are used to fund chaos around the world.
What is this America we see, a land where fear and crime reign freely, unchecked by the powers that be? Hughes said “For all the dreams we’ve dreamed and all the songs we’ve sung, and all the hopes we’ve held, and all the flags we’ve hung, the millions who have nothing for our pay – except the dream that’s almost dead today.”
Where is the America where dreams are fulfilled with love of neighbours: friend and foe alike? Where is the America where justice serves to bring peace and unity? Where is the America where equity is the foundation for opportunity and progress?
This America lies hidden in the hearts of its people but is erupting in the struggle to survive. It is the essence of a country built on promise and hope for freedom and faith. God has given the American people a challenge of its own to reverse the trends that are tearing it apart.
Solutions and answers will not be found in a political arena where disunity reigns. The America of our dreams will be secured through hard work, through the dedicated service of people who believe in the moral codes that are shared through messages from a God-given framework found in all the major religions of the world. “Thou shalt not steal, murder, or harm. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Love thy neighbour.” There are no mysteries because these codes and guidance are well known but poorly followed.
Hughes proclaimed that we must “Let America be America again – the land that never has been yet – and yet must be – the land where every man is free…We must take back our land again, America!…And make America again!”
