M ore than a decade ago, I moved to Tulsa looking for the peace and order my hometown lacked.
I come from a place where justice and power can be bought by anyone who can afford it. The term commonly used by scholars is third world.
Back when I was a kid, I looked up to the USA as the pinnacle of fairness and dignity. A decade ago, the United States was seen as a model nation by many other countries that battled political instability.
The idea of checks and balances and an almighty constitution were concepts poorly understood by undeveloped nations. Banana republics are known for being run by dictators and enforced by the military. Dictators are known for imposing their wishes, normally in bizarre displays of ego and power, like military parades.
It makes me happy and sad seeing the community standing in the streets under rain and thunder. I realized what moved so many people today in the protest is not anger, it’s love. Love for a nation that seems to be slowly collapsing. Love for the America people remember and are now fighting to protect. Protecting it from becoming the same thing many immigrants escaped from.
America is great because of the unrelenting spirit of its people. I grew up admiring the United States for the way they stood up to the British and made the decision between complete and certain oblivion or freedom. There was no in-between. The New World would never stand for servitude to a king. Americans fought, died, gave their own lives and the lives of their children for the promise of freedom.
Today, during the protest, I realized the American fighting spirit never left. The descendants of the people who once stood up to a king were once again fulfilling their historical duty—duty carried through many generations of Americans.
A protest will not change the country. It will not fix its issues. But it is doing something meaningful. It sends a message. 1,500 cities simultaneously across the nation send a very powerful and loud message: America will not stand for a king.
