One in a series of narratives on being American

The red, white, and blue flag waved on high 
as it celebrated freedom 
and 
loyalty, 
even as the founding enslavers who promised everyone freedom, 
But it was really meant only for land-owning white Europeans 
a life safe from the horrors of living next to people 
who did not look like them 
and 
We believed them as we saw them 
and 
their neighbors 
lynch 
fathers and mothers 
while their own children stood witness 
as blood ran from the back of their heads 
with the cold rain 
as the truth behind them 
the red, white, and blue American flag 
waving 
on the courthouse steps 
where ancestors were ripped from a courtroom 
and 
carried high above the cheering crowd 
as if they were heroes to be honored 
but 
were instead just another number 
of so many numbers 
their clothes stripped and burned 
at their feet 
as they wailed one last song of hope 
for their children 
and 
their children’s children 
and 
the generations in an unknown future 
before the final layers of skin 
were torn from their faces 
and 
hands
and 
feet 
and 
there was the blessing 
by 
the man with the white collar 
and 
black suit 
and 
black hat 
and 
the bible in his hands 
with the pages turned to the curse of Ham 
held high as he gave the crowd the consent they wanted
but 
It was not necessary 
because 
They knew their flag was all they needed 
to prove that their nation was indeed theirs 
in the name of their enslaving fathers, 
their privileged sons, 
and 
their arrogant spirits
Amen.

Postscript: Learn the truth from The National Museum of African American History and Culture

“The National Museum of African American History and Culture captures and shares the unvarnished truth of African American history and culture. We connect stories, scholarship, art, and artifacts from the past and present to illuminate the contributions, struggles, and triumphs that have shaped our nation. We forge new and compelling avenues for audiences to experience the arc of living history.”