Dr. Ron Daniels, Final Call
- When Senator Barack Obama was campaigning for President, much was made of the fact that he didn’t always wear an American flag pin on his lapel. This was obviously an attempt to question Obama’s patriotism. Frankly, my blood boiled every time the issue was raised.
As the nation paused for the Memorial Day Holiday to honor those who have served in the armed forces, it is important to proclaim that people of African descent have been America’s most devoted and patient patriots. African Americans have fought in virtually every war to preserve this nation’s “freedoms” even when those freedoms were not extended to Black people. Flag in hand or on lapel or not, no one should dare to question the patriotism of African Americans.
As the American nation was being forged from the dispossession of Native People and forced labor of enslaved Africans, the mission of Black people was clear: to achieve full freedom and create communities in which to live with dignity, respect, justice and peace. For some within the emerging new African community, fighting in America’s wars was viewed as one way of erasing the stigma of inferiority within a racist society and winning the respect of the European majority. Though others may have dissented from this view, Africans in America have always yearned and fought for emancipation and justice as the objective of the Black Freedom Struggle. Given the circumstances, the legacy of Blacks in the military is a saga of incredible sacrifice, commitment, heroism and patriotism.
