This Sunday, June 14, we rejoice the Continental Congress’ adoption of the celebs and stripes as our nationwide flag on June 14, 1777. Like many patriotic Individuals and as a veteran, I nonetheless fly my American flag on Flag Day, this regardless of our democracy’s decline.
My father, a WW II U.S. Navy veteran and a primary era American of Ukrainian descent, taught me to honor the flag. An enlisted man, he served on destroyers within the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. He made the extraordinarily harmful run via Nazi U-boats and Luftwaffe planes to escort provide ships to Murmansk, Russia to interrupt Hitler’s again after he invaded Russia.
Whereas serving within the Navy in 1972, I hosted a fellow JAG officer from Texas right here in Annapolis. We visited Fort. McHenry with my dad. I’ll always remember him forcing a younger man to face and take off his hat for the elevating of the flag and the taking part in of the Star-Spangled Banner.
On June 20, 1782, E pluribus unum—Latin for “out of many, one”—was adopted because the motto for the Nice Seal of america. Over time, the connotative that means expanded to signify American multiculturalism, celebrating our range as a nation of immigrants of many nationalities, races, and backgrounds mixing right into a single American society.
On Flag Day June 14, 1983, as a newly minted 38-year-old state Senator, I used to be requested to ship a speech to the Annapolis Elks Membership. As I used to be making ready to talk, a member got here close to me and loudly advised the organist to “strike up the Jewish nationwide anthem.” My dad was Jewish though I used to be Catholic by faith. He was Commander of the Jewish Warfare Veterans and on the identical time VP of St. Mary’s Excessive Faculty PTA.
I had skilled antisemitism on the Elks beforehand whereas in regulation faculty within the late Nineteen Sixties after I couldn’t purchase tickets to a shrimp feast there and later being ignored when making use of to be a bartender.
My first response to the insult was to cold-cock the antisemite, however as a substitute I re-imagined my Flag Day speech and gave the most effective oratories of my life on our flag and its symbolism emphasizing the blood shed and lives misplaced of all Individuals in our wars, together with Jews, enslaved and free Africans, and individuals of all nationalities and races.
After my rip-roaring speech, I sat down for lunch with a bunch of girls who promptly bought up and left for one other desk. I used to be by no means invited again. The Elks and many different Annapolis non-public golf equipment, together with the Annapolis yacht Membership, didn’t permit Jewish or Black members.
This was not the primary time I confronted antisemitism. As a 14-year-old freshman at St. Mary’s Excessive Faculty, I first skilled it throughout an intra-mural softball recreation when between innings, a senior demanded “Give me that glove Jew boy.” I used to be a superb athlete and hit a 3-run house run that received the sport and went on to captain my highschool soccer crew in 1961.
In 1978, I ran for the Home of Delegates. In assembly group leaders to introduce myself, a enterprise chief within the insurance coverage business in Edgewater, requested about my identify and parentage. I advised him my dad was Jewish, however I used to be Catholic. He advised me, “You higher emphasize you might be Catholic as a result of we elected one Jew and we aren’t about to elect one other one.”
I received that race with probably the most votes of 5 opponents, together with an incumbent, and completed first in my different 7 elections.
As soon as you might be stung by private animosity due to your ethnicity or non secular beliefs, you’re feeling degraded. I additionally felt the assault was on my dad, making the insults extra egregious. I grew-up in downtown Annapolis starting in 1946 and even in a segregated Annapolis I used to be oblivious to racism till I noticed it as a teen. My first mates and playmates had been all Black children with whom I performed every day on Larkin Avenue, now Metropolis Gate Lane.
St. Mary’s elementary and excessive faculties had been built-in a few years earlier than public faculties, so I had Black classmates and teammates. I by no means heard a phrase of racism directed at a Black pupil. I grew to become a lover of Soul music and frequented Black venues like Carrs Seashore to see and meet performers like James Brown.
On the urging of then Mayor Buckley and Brian Cahahan of 49 West, I put collectively a presentation—Looking for the Soul of Annapolis about my experiences in soul music and the racism I witnessed.
As I aged, I used to be shocked at my nation’s hiding of our nation’s sordid previous 65 years in the past. How was it doable that I may undergo 19 years of formal training in Maryland with none point out of slavery, the extermination and genocide of Native Individuals and of Hitler’s extermination of six million Jews, a holocaust that occurred whereas I used to be alive?
Disturbingly, I concluded this was a deliberate whitewashing of our historical past. Hidden from me and different college students had been the ignominious, inhumane details that may assist kind our notion of the world. This may assist us keep away from such catastrophic errors and racism whereas turning into higher residents making certain a greater future free from such abominations.
As an alternative, we had been taught of the heroic Columbus discovering America and of courageous white European colonizers taming the wilderness. The expansion of our financial powerhouse was associated to American individualism, with no point out of the function of slaves in fueling our financial development nor of the exploitation of Native individuals.
Now, with this Flag Day within the 250th 12 months since our Declaration of Independence, Donald Trump has been systematically whitewashing our historical past that conflicts with his distorted narrative, eliminating recognition of the genocidal therapy of Native Individuals and the evils of slavery. He’s perverting our instructional system and attacking our greatest universities and companies that dare to teach about or deal with racism.
This 12 months, Trump ended free entrances to nationwide parks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. He substituted June 14, his birthday. For Flag Day, he has transformed the White Home garden right into a monstrous area for probably the most violent athletic occasions—cage combating. Run by one among his company patrons, the UFC proprietor, 5,00 chosen visitors will attend, with TV buddies airing the struggle.
Whereas selling the combating occasion, Trump purchased tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in UFC’s mum or dad firm’s inventory. The occasion, billed as a kickoff of the 250th celebration, can be subsequent to the demolished East Wing the place a large state ballroom is being constructed at a value of greater than $1 billion. This desecration is being paid for by billionaires. Throughout the first seven months of the East Wing’s demolition, greater than half of the publicly recognized company donors have received new or expanded federal contracts price over $50 billion
Sure, I’m reluctantly flying the American flag on Flag Day regardless of the assaults on our democracy by an egomaniacal tyrant. Let’s pledge to ensure an indivisible nation with liberty and justice for all.
Gerald Winegrad represented the larger Annapolis space as a Democrat within the Maryland Home of Delegates and Senate for 16 years. Contact him at gwwabc@comcast.internet.
