When I See That Flag, I Know Who I Am: Flags and Rights to Citizenship
This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend. The great American flag was flying high in nearly everyone’s front yard and, of course, regularly at the banks, McDonald’s, and other places. I returned from Jordan to find that a flag of my country was not on everyone’s license plate or in his or her car, or how a picture of the beloved ruler was in everyone’s car or business establishment. In Jordan, there were copies of the Jordanian flag or HRM King Abdullah II everywhere in sight. Yet, I noticed that if any Missourian had a flag, it wasn’t necessarily Missouri’s flag or the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, which has become a symbol of the Tea Party, but the U.S. flag. State rights are important, but what has united us all – Americans – was our right to citizenship. Yet, that struggle for citizenship continues for many immigrants to the U.S., some who have worked, studied and lived in the U.S. for most of their lives. What does it mean to be a...