Raise your flags Colorado to beat this virus together
We’ve all seen the photo of three New York City firefighters raising the American flag at the World Trade Center, following the September 11 attacks. This iconic moment has been compared to the photo of the six marines raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Since the revolution, the flag is intertwined with our rich history. Our flag represents our freedom and liberty and encapsulates the true meaning of being an American. It has been with us through our nation’s battles, trials and tribulations, but also in the moments of our greatest joys and triumphs.
From the time we begin elementary school, we pledged our allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
After 911 when our nation was attacked on our domestic soil, the American flag was seen in every county in America. We even wore it proudly on our clothes.
The flag is a symbol of our greatness and our ability to rise above all challenges. We came together as one community, united in every way.
Today, though, we face a common challenge, the likes of which we have never witnessed.
As I look outside, we don’t see our flags raised like we did following 9/11.
We enter this challenge as these divided, not united, states. We have been engaged in petty tribalism and are polarized in so many unnecessary ways. Every social safety net flaw, crack, has overnight become a chasm. It doesn’t matter if you subscribe to the notion that we need to Make America Great Again or that we need to Keep America Great, we see the country through two very different lenses.
Yes, we have an important election looming, but the fact is that very few of us care about the latest developments in the 2020 election. And, the sooner our leaders, candidates and the media realize that fact, the better off we will all be.
We are worried about this health scare. We are worried about the affordability and access to health care, putting food on our tables, paying utilities, rent and mortgages.
Many Americans have lost their jobs, have been furloughed or fear that they could lose their jobs at any minute, and they need financial assistance. Millions of Americans are only $400 away from a financial catastrophe. Nearly 74% of Americans making less than $50,000 live paycheck to paycheck.
In this moment, we are more similar than different. By focusing more on these similarities and less on our differences, we can bridge that gap between us and become a united nation again.
To face this challenge, we must lookout for the most vulnerable among us. We must serve our neighbors, community, and fellow Americans no matter where they live, how they live or what they believe in.
We need to check in on our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and find ways to support each other. The stories coming out already are inspiring. Whether it’s a young millennial offering to shop for her elderly neighbor or an investment company landlord telling a tenant restaurant owner not to worry about rent and instead to pay the restaurant employees. We care about one another and must act on it every day.
Those that are fortunate enough to not need anything should find ways to contribute and support those who do. Whether it is dropping off food on the doorsteps of someone you love, fulfilling a random act of kindness for a stranger, or donating to the governor’s Covid-19 Relief Fund, every act of kindness matters. No matter how big or small the kindness, it’s the fact and act of kindness that matters.
In this hour, we are reminded of Winston Churchill’s epic speech delivered in 1940 when England stood as Europe’s lone barrier against Hitler. Churchill said, “let us, therefore, brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘this was their finest hour.’ “
This is the moment for our leaders to roll up their sleeves, stop blaming the other party or prior decision-making and simply lead. There are no red states or blue states, just the United States, and we all wear red, white and blue, not simply red or blue.
Let’s reclaim the spirit and the symbol of what it means to be an American. Bold, compassionate and united. Wave those flags high from your homes, places of worship, and workplaces and call upon each other to live by the better angels of our nature.
And, when it’s over, we will sing the Star-spangled Banner at our favorite sporting event and yell out the words with pride, “and our flag was still there.”