After much fanfare, America’s 250th birthday is finally upon us. Here in Washington, D.C., the White House-sponsored Freedom 250 celebrations don’t seem to be going too well, from the algae-filled debacle in the reflecting pool to the sparse crowds at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall. Elsewhere around the city, the president has refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill in order to blackmail Congress into passing measures that would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. Last week’s Supreme Court decision gave the administration the ability to cruelly deport hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian refugees. None of that makes me feel like celebrating.
When I think about our present political moment, I see echoes of the prophet Micah, who forewarned of coming disaster because both Israel and Judah’s political and religious leaders abused their power and conspired to do evil (2:1, 7:3), stole and plundered (2:8), oppressed the poor (3:3), despised justice and distorted the truth (3:9), and engaged in violence and deceit (6:12). At every turn, President Donald Trump seems more fixated on punishing his enemies and cementing his legacy through vanity projects than on anything resembling our nation’s founding ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” among other “inalienable rights” set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
But if Trump’s hubris is all we see as we observe this national milestone, we’re missing the bigger story. While algae pools get more headlines, there are a slew of people who are finding alternate ways to mark this 250-year milestone. Sadly, the administration’s hijacking of our nation’s semiquincentennial has overshadowed the plans of America250, a project of a bipartisan commission that offers a much better framing of this anniversary as an “opportunity to pause and reflect on our nation’s past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look ahead toward the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond.” They encourage participants to celebrate with record donations to nonprofit organizations, volunteer service, and civic education, and more.
To me, the best way to mark this year’s July 4 is twofold: First, we can lament all the ways this nation has fallen short of its founding ideals, including our current trajectory toward greater authoritarianism. Second, we should celebrate what the U.S. has gotten right, while recommitting ourselves to making those ideals real for everyone. This includes our commitment to religious freedom and pluralism and the promise of birthright citizenship, recently upheld by the Supreme Court. We can celebrate the way we’ve promoted innovation by investing in our universities and sought peace by co-creating the United Nations. And we can celebrate the diverse cultures that brought us things like jazz, country, the blues, and hip-hop. None of this was created just by a group of men signing the Declaration of Independence; these accomplishments in our nation’s pursuit of a more perfect union have been characterized by examples of courageous breakthroughs as well as periods of uneven progress and painful setbacks.
And these examples also echo the biblical prophets: While we often think of the prophets as folks who knew how to hurl prophetic condemnation, the prophets rarely ended with doom; more often, they pointed toward a path to restoration and liberation. Micah lays out that path when he says: “What does the Lord require of you, but to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (6:8).
I heard Micah’s three-pronged approach to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly this past Sunday when I prayed with Latino Christian leaders, immigrant families, and supporters from across the country. The service, a 250th anniversary commemoration organized by the Latino Christian National Network, lamented the ongoing targeting of immigrants while also affirming their indispensable role in the nation’s story. I was particularly moved when I joined other faith leaders in offering a prayer for immigrants while wrapped in the metallic emergency blankets that so many immigrants are forced to wear while being detained in dehumanizing conditions. Similarly, on Friday, I’ll be attending an interfaith service hosted at the National Cathedral called “We Hold These Truths To be Self-Evident” that will celebrate the nation’s ideals alongside an honest reckoning of its history and unfinished work.
As followers of Jesus, our call is far bigger than this nation and its ideals. Our first allegiance isn’t to what the founders started 250 years ago, but to embodying Micah’s call to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. And as Christians who happen to live here, in this nation, part of following the gospel’s call includes creating a country where everyone’s dignity is protected and pluralism is celebrated,not feared: the beloved community. We won’t get there with passive cynicism or disengagement, but through the efforts of those willing to take action to make our nation’s system of government more accountable and radically more just.
That is why I refuse to let Freedom 250 ruin the party or overshadow the things that I think are worth celebrating about America. I also won’t allow the hyperpartisan and nationalistic nature of the Freedom 250 debacle to overshadow so many other positive events that possess a tone of inclusion and civic renewal. If we want to make this nation more inclusive and just, we need efforts that build greater belonging and give a glimpse of what America could be—which is exactly what I think many of the alternate ways people are observing America’s 250th anniversary offer.
I urge you to look for ways you can join in these efforts. The June special issue of Sojourners is chock-full of examples. Another hopeful initiative is We the People. Co-led by Faith in Public Life and Faith out Loud, during the week of Aug. 17 thousands of people across the country will be participating in a process to shape a shared vision for the nation and world we do not yet have—one where all humanity and all creation can thrive. Faiths United to Save Democracy is equipping and mobilizing faith leaders to ensure we can have a free, fair, and safe midterm election. You can sign up to serve as a poll chaplain or peacekeeper by attending our July 13 training and join us in protecting the image of God in every voter.
These are just a few examples of how this semiquincentennial year can reinforce our commitment to living out Micah’s timeless call and, in the process, help us build the Beloved Community, making our nation’s ideals of liberty and justice for all more real for—truly—all.
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