I am proud to be an American, where my neighbors feel safe to celebrate Pride Month. The purpose of pride is liberation, one of the core tenets of my great nation’s founding principles. Freedom to be who you are, wherever you are, and to love who you love without persecution are what pride best represents.
Freedom from hate, justice under the law for all, and security against harms are the hard-fought values of truly patriotic Americans. Equality has been a long and tragic struggle for my fellow Americans for generations, and pride represents the expression of relief, gratification, and joy to finally be free. When I think of myself as an American citizen, I hold these values to heart.
This appreciation was cemented on a recent academic pilgrimage I took to Europe to study the memorial places of the Holocaust. I stood under the shady trees of a beautiful park in the bustling heart of Berlin. Around me, revelers had gathered at the base of a stone monument, nestled amongst the trees.
Flowers graced the base of this memorial to the hundreds of thousands of gay, lesbian, and transgender people who were systematically tortured and murdered by the Nazis during World War II. All around me, one of the many victim groups of the Holocaust and Nazi terror had come together, now celebrating with food, laughter, and love. ADVERTISEMENT The military veterans in my family instilled in me it was our nation that stood up to liberate the world from the crimes of hate and division.
Our brave.