What makes America great?
I wrote this on Jan 4, 2008. It is time to start bragging about America again. Let the world know that we are one of the greatest nations when it comes to honoring and respecting the God given uniqueness to each one of the 303,171,404 Americans. We have made incredible progress in civility and plurality in a very short period of time.
Christina Cauterucci at Slate writes, “Replacing Jackson on the $20 instead of Hamilton on the $10 wasn’t the good-willed genius of the Department of Treasury, nor was it the bright idea of unofficial Hamilton lobbyist Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was the original demand made by the women who launched the Women on 20s campaign in 2015. The campaign crowd sourced nominations for the female currency candidate and collected more than 600,000 votes over three rounds. Tubman won, beating out Eleanor Roosevelt by just 7,000 votes. Women on 20’s presented the results and the proposal in a petition to President Obama last May.”
Giving more than 600,000 Votes in three rounds to a lady from the last century, who happens to be African American makes America Great! Americans chose her over several other competitors to deserve this honor. Indeed, we are the greatest nation on the earth.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. expressed that in his speech, “ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Our Founding Fathers laid the ground work for such a society, “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Chief Seattle, a Native American said this perfectly, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself.”
It was on a cold day of December 1, 1955 when Rosa Parks was ordered to give up her seat to a white passenger. Thank God, she refused to obey the orders. Till then an African American was not allowed to drink from the same water fountain or dine in a restaurant. In life, all it takes is one courageous person to speak up and inspire us to be on the path of righteousness.
Fifty three years later on Wednesday, January 3, 2008 at 10:00 PM history was made again. Democratic candidate Barak Obama, an African American was declared winner of the Iowa caucus for the Democratic Party.
97% of the nearly 3 Million Iowans are rural conservative white folks. On this day, they have fulfilled a larger dream for the world – where the color of the skin doesn’t matter, but the character of the person does. January 3, 2008 will be written as a golden day in the civic History of America. More at America Bragging.
I was listening to NPR this morning ( November 4, 2008) and around 7:20 some one said that he drove quite a distance to South Carolina to witness history in making; listening to Obama on the eve of the Election Day.
I choked and I felt the tears in my eyes, the tears of Joy, I was happy to think of the prospect of America becoming a great nation once again, in those few bare seconds I was imagining prosperity knocking on every American door fulfilling the dream of millions of Americans with a Job, health and education for their children. Obama Choked me with tears.
We set the tone of change in the world, whatever we do, others see the value in it and emulate it. This is what makes America Great.
Why on $20 bill? Here is the full story at Huffington Post
- Harriet Tubman’s first biographer, Sarah Hopkins Bradford, tells a remarkable story about the anti-slavery hero.
- Tubman had an intimation that her parents, still held as slaves in Maryland, were in trouble. She needed funds to effect their rescue.
- Tubman marched into the New York office of abolitionist Oliver Johnson, and staged a sit-down hunger strike to secure the necessary funds
“ I want twenty dollars, sir.”
“ Twenty dollars? Who told you to come here for twenty dollars?”
“De Lord tole me, sir.”
“Well, I guess the Lord’s mistaken this time.”
“I guess he isn’t sir. Anyhow I’m gwine to sit here till I git it.”
- The Lord, she said, had told her to come and demand twenty dollars. Incredulous, Johnson ignored her.
- When she fell asleep, people who heard of her plight stuffed $60 into her pockets. She journeyed south, and brought her father to freedom
- “I want twenty dollars,” Tubman said. Now, she’ll be on all of our $20 bills.
There was a question from the audience about Muslim icons, and of course Muhammad Ali tops the list. Out in the lobby, Dalia Mogahed, the research director and I were talking about the statistics. Out of appreciation for her pioneering work, I mentioned that she becomes a Muslim American Icon for her research work, no one has done this before. Until now, most of the conversation in Public Square was based on observations and hearsay, and now, for the first time, it is based on empirical data.
I believe they will have the full information and presentation on their website 
My friend and I chanced at the MLK memorial last week on the anniversary week when he was silenced. We have to honor him for releasing America from the guilt of oppression that would have haunted us Americans, the way we treated fellow Americans who were black, poor and weak was shameful. I walked through the complex and captured his quotes inscribed on the marble walls. Said a silent prayer thanking him for what America is today.
Please don’t look down at the protesters at Trump, Clinton, Sanders or any rallies. They have the balls to stand up for us the chickens, instead of looking down at them; we should admire them for holding the fort of freedom and democracy. Almost all the laws and amendments we have in place is because of the protesters. When I see the protesters around the Capitol Hill, which is daily, I will stop and appreciate them for doing it, even though I disagree with their cause.
You can make your life purposeful, meaningful and enjoyable, and can choose to be the driver of your life or be driven by circumstance and others. The choice, as well as the excuse, is yours. I pray that we retain the ability to choose what we want in our lives.
Goethe wrote, “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy… Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred…. Whatever you can do or dream that you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Dr. Mike Ghouse is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker,