A special message from CEO Suzanne St. John-Crane
During our last staff meeting, I was reflecting on how, for me, the meaning of the American flag has changed dramatically over the years—perhaps for many of us. As a kid in the ’70s, the flag represented the 4th of July—freedom, democracy, and the Olympics—concepts on which we could all agree were good things.
As my understanding of our country’s complicated history evolved through formal and self-guided education, the flag represented an ideal we had never achieved. In fact, it symbolized a system that quite purposefully excluded women and people of color, despite the Pledge of Allegiance’s claim that this country stands for freedom and justice for all. As my understanding of systems and power evolved, so did my understanding of why.
I became disillusioned but stayed curious.
I’ve watched protestors, rioters, and convicted insurrectionists wave the flag as a symbol of freedom and a call to arms. Footage from January 6 exploded with red, white, and blue. I’ve thought twice about raising a flag at my house. (What would the neighbors think?)
“I have become a little suspicious and cautious, but I will not let it overtake my curiosity and love for my fellow (wo)man. That would be un-American.”
When the 2021 Summer Olympics took place in Tokyo, I watched athletes of every creed, color, sexual orientation, and ability drape themselves in the American flag and shed tears on the Gold Medal podium as the national anthem played. Even when our country’s Commander-in-Chief publicly berated Gold Metal Soccer Star Megan Rapinoe, it didn’t diminish her pride or purpose, because America was hers too.
In 2023, I listened to Nikole Hannah Jones’ 1619 podcast and the story of a millennial who questioned how her grandfather, whose experience of Jim Crow oppression and stories of his ancestors’ enslavement were still fresh, proudly waved the American flag year-round outside his house. For her grandfather, the flag became a symbol of overcoming—of claiming publicly and proudly what was his.
This week, I was at a stop sign in our residential neighborhood when an extra-tall Ford F150 truck with gigantic tires went screaming across the intersection with two full-size flags waving on either side of the tailgate. One was the classic American flag, and the other was a 1776 flag. Was he claiming allegiance to the 1776 doctrine vs the more recent assertion that the 1619 slave trade was the actual beginning of America? Or was he just a zealous patriot gearing up for the 4th of July?
I have become a little suspicious and cautious, but I will not let it overtake my curiosity and love for my fellow (wo)man. That would be un-American.
“The flag symbolizes my responsibility as a human citizen to make this union more perfect.”
As our mainstream and social media news feeds continue to deliver shocking and distressing headlines—from climate crisis disasters to questionable Supreme Court practices and rulings, to a presidential debate between two octogenarians whose performances were described publicly as “frightening, depressing and nonsensical”—it’s ever so compelling to bury our heads in the sand after shaking them profusely. And to point fingers at the flag wavers, liberals, MAGA, or the middle. At those people. To build bigger walls and “get what’s ours.”
This can’t be the way. It can’t be what the framers intended, no matter how erroneous their execution of America’s groundbreaking government was.
Two ALF guest speakers come to mind as I reflect on the state of our country and humanity today. One is Valarie Kaur, Author of See No Stranger. Valarie reminds us that in the Sikh tradition, others are just a part of ourselves we do not yet know. And that it is not just our opportunity but our responsibility to know each other—to care for one another. The other author is Eric Liu, whose book Become America is ringing in my head right now. His collection of civic sermons reminds us that we must fall in love with each other again and work to form a more perfect union. America isn’t just a country. America is a verb.
“If you don’t learn how to practice power, someone else will do it for you—in your name, on your turf, with your voice, and often against your interests.” ―Eric Liu, You’re More Powerful than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen.
What I realize on this Fourth of July is that for me, the flag has become a symbol of my responsibility. Not what I’m entitled to. Not an arrogant claim of America’s perfection. Not a symbol of extremism. But a reminder of an ideal; however imperfectly it manifested itself. The flag symbolizes my responsibility as a human citizen to make this union more perfect.
So today, on this Fourth of July, I hope you’ll join me in heeding the call to curiosity, commitment, and courage as we careen toward the November presidential election. This moment feels so incredibly consequential and heavy, but many heads, hands, and hearts that choose to take action rooted in love and a moral obligation to each other can and will move mountains.
Here’s to realizing our Independence Day.
Love,
Suzanne
Suzanne St. John-Crane
Chief Executive Officer
ALF Class XXV / Urbanism XXXIV
Interim Executive Director, ALF National
