This land was made for you and me.

Written October 2020

This is my country. This flag flies for me. All of me. All Iranian heritage, double X chromosome, super femme, lower income raised, not exactly straight, child of immigrants, urban hipster, latte sippin’ liberal, me.

This is also your country. If you are a citizen, if you are here hoping for citizenship, this flag flies for you.

Do not let them fool you. Yes, this country was, and is always, a contradiction. A country founded on enlightenment ideals and the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for all, but only limited to a few.

With a brutal fight every time that promise is attempted to be made into practice. With escalating violence upon the psyches and bodies of those who peacefully strive for the pursuit regardless.

But do not let them fool you. This is still your country. This is your home. This is your birthright. This is your blood, sweat, and tears.

This is your promise.

This is my promise. 4 years ago on election night I wrote on my former Facebook account that I stand by my black and brown friends.

I stand by my LGBTQ friends.

I stand by my female friends.

I stand by my immigrant friends.

I said, it is darkest before the dawn. I said, we will take our country back.

It is.

We will.

But a slight edit.

We will take our country forward.

This flag flies for Us.

Copyright © 2020 Sophie Nazerian