For me, it’s important to approach America’s 250th anniversary as a patriot, not a nationalist. As a patriot, I want to be proud of my country and use my voice and actions in every way possible to shape the nation in alignment with my ideals. A nationalist cheerleads for their nation unconditionally, and I refuse to be silent or complicit when many of America’s policies harm the working class and marginalized communities while giving more power and wealth to those who already have too much of both. The Statue of Liberty has long been a symbol of freedom, pluralism, and democratic values, even though those concepts have never been realized in a truly ideal form. The statue was gifted to the United States by France and unveiled in 1886 to celebrate the two nations’ shared commitment to liberty and democracy. The Statue of Liberty features broken shackles at her feet to symbolize freedom and an end to slavery. Positioned near Ellis Island, it also became a powerful symbol of hope and welcome for millions of immigrants arriving in America. Under the Trump administration, all of those values are being undermined, and the will of the people is being ignored by a president who wants to be a dictator or king. In this painting, the use of the phrase “It Can’t Happen Here” is a reference to Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 novel of the same name, which follows an American politician’s embrace of fascism and ascent to becoming the country’s first dictator. The fascist threat needs to be taken seriously many of the safeguards against fascism and dictatorship are being dismantled. Free speech, the right to assemble, and the right to due process under the law are under assault. Liberty is shackled, and we need to do everything we can to reverse that. On our 250th anniversary, we need to be honest and confront the regressive and brutal nature of our current political situation. We have never progressed to a genuinely equal, fair, and just society, but we still can if we stand up, act, and reverse course.
