Envisioning America

The 2024 election season reignited following Biden’s departure early this summer and Kamala Harris taking the campaigning reins. During one of her rallies, she questioned Americans: What kind of America do you want to live in? I think about our that specific question. What type of America do I want to live in? To watch future generation grow up in? What unites us as American?

According to American history, a group of “Pilgrims” traveled from England to govern themselves. Whether or not, they intended to include the native Americans, they eventually grew to a culture away from home and over a century past their arrival, they established themselves as a new country and formed a democratic government. A government for the people and by the people. They voted for leaders to serve and create the laws Americans live by. Since then, America has continued to evolve its identity in the global community. Eventually, it has become a country with diverse cultures, beliefs, and citizens.

This election season’s, there are some American who feel our country should not be dual heritage. They want the power of decision making and shaping the country to remain in the hands of one race over the others. To support their belief, they use gerrymandering to prevent many black Americans from voting. The negative emphasis towards Asians during the pandemic by our political leader alienated a whole racial group of Americans who had a large role in constructing the railroads we use today. This is not the America I envision. I want an America that celebrates our racial differences. When I think of America, I do not see a bleak portrait of a nation with the same skin tone, but one rich with ethnic color.

If America is multi-racial, then there need to be religious organizations to represent these cultural backgrounds. Unlike other countries, America is fortunate to allow its citizens various paths to spirituality. Those who believe there is one God may follow the beliefs of that religion, while those who prefer to find spirituality through crystals, divination, or Buddhism may as well. A country introducing various forms of spirituality and allowing the citizens to choose is the America I envision.

The America I envision is stronger when built on the foundations of freedom. The freedom to choose the lifestyle you prefer. From food to religion. Choice in love to choice in family. There are many countries which follow one cultural norm. An expectation is that all citizens study the same faith, dine similar meals, and produce similar family structures. A predictable life once one becomes a formal member of that country’s society. America should refrain from becoming a homogenous society. The America I want is one which continues to celebrate the uniqueness in our amalgamated culture. Allowing the citizen their right to choose who they want to love, the family structure they want to create, the lifestyle they want to pursue. These qualities separate America from other countries, and unite us as one.

This is what I envision for America, and it clearly points to which of the two major presidential candidates I plan to vote for. Every American citizen has a choice. For those who plan to vote, it comes down to the question I posed at the beginning: What do you envision for America? When you think about what is America, what do you see? I am not white, nor heterosexual. I have lived in a country that is homogeneous, and felt the stifling effect of the rigid society. The pressure to assimilate, when I physically could not, and the constant feeling of displacement. America needs to remain the land of the free, bringing hope to people who seek a happier way of life. This is my America.