Athletics is only one of the reasons it’s great to be a minority.
That parade of nations is one of the greatest spectacles to behold every 4 years. My favorite part is watching the diversity and namely the diversity within a nation. None top the US. That’s something I’m very proud of. Part of it of course is because of the size of our population and people’s desire to immigrate to the US over the past couple hundred years (or be brought here but that’s another story for another night).
This says something else though. Not only can anyone be good at sports but minorities have been shining brightly in the Olympics. Simone Biles is winning gold, Simone Manuel is winning gold, and Ibtihaj Muhammad is competing wearing a hijab. You also have Alexandra Raisman incorporating traditional Jewish music into her gold winning gymnastics routine and Lauren Hernandez, a Puerto Rican, winning gold on the team. This is only a small iota of the diversity love-fest going on here. It brings so much pride that this can happen in my country. These are people all that have been disenfranchised at some point in time in the United States who have shown that through hard work they are part of what makes this country truly great. After all of the xenophobic rhetoric we’ve heard the past year or so it’s great that the Olympic Games remind us of what the US is really about. Fixing our shit and being great afterwards.
This post was fueled by pride and disgust. I was recently watching some videos and came across some disturbing things being said about black people by Russians. I immediately thought, why in the hell have I been learning the language of a nation that probably overall views me as a lesser. This rhetoric is not just limited to Russia however. It can be found in plenty of places. I won’t repeat anything because it’s not valuable information but what’s really valuable is that while Blacks, Latinos, Muslims, and women may be great at athletics we also hold down so many other offices. We are lawyers, PRESIDENTS, doctors, chefs, teachers, scientists, musicians and artists. We do it all because WE are just like EVERYBODY else. Our beliefs or differences in genetics does not make us any less competent or powerful. I want people to remember their greatness. Yesterday, after hearing those comments I felt lowly. Not today; today I remembered my power and I remember my melanin is popping and my power is untapped. Also how would the rest of the world like it if we gave them blanket judgement? Hitler, Mussolini, Spanish inquisition…need I say more? It’s great to be different. Revel in your differences! I’m so proud to be an American!