April 10, 2004 - A recent column by Arnold Ahlert in the New York Post discusses a concert in Mt. Vernon, NY, in which the Black National Anthem is played. Mr. Ahlert points out the irony in this and says:
How ironic that terrorists see Americans as one people, even as we endeavor to divide ourselves.
Of course, this is nothing new. One doesn't have to look to far to see other examples of us trying to divide ourselves. A good example is separate (segregated, oh, now there's an evil word) college graduations - for Hispanics, African Americans, and even homosexuals. Penn has a separate ceremony for African-Americans. Michigan has one for homosexuals. A suppose these ceremonies are "Separate but Equal." And I thought Plessy v. Ferguson was overruled almost fifty years ago.
There is nothing wrong with celebrating one's heritage but we must remember that we are all Americans first, African-Americans, Euro-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanic-Americans second. I don't see how sexual preference seems to rank on the same level as ethnicity. Remember all that "United We Stand" in the days and months after September 11th? I don't want to believe that that was just empty oratory. Mr. Ahlert is right. Our enemies see us as Americans yet we seem to see ourselves as (Insert Label Here)-Americans.
Here's a link to his column: