By Jonathan Jean Charles
Newman Civic Fellow
University of Miami
Published as part of Letters to America, a national youth-driven civic initiative launched by Made By Us through Youth250, in which young people put forward their own declaration for America’s 250th anniversary. These letters are published unedited and in full to showcase the students’ authentic voices and unique perspectives. While their views are entirely their own, we believe their voices, and those of all our student leaders, are a vital part of the conversation around America’s future.
The New York Knicks winning the NBA championship is much more than an amazing moment in sports history. It serves as a reminder of what a team can accomplish through grit, teamwork, and a desire to overcome the odds. It is a perfect parallel to the American story.
Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama provide an interesting metaphor for America. Wembanyama, being from France, represents the United Kingdom, while Brunson, an African American, represents the original thirteen colonies. It is fitting that the New York Knicks, a team that represents the capital of the world, won the championship.
But what does that reflect about the current state of American affairs?
New York was covered in celebration after the championship, and among the crowd was a Puerto Rican flag waving alongside the parade. For a city with a complex history and a present shaped by immigrants, New York represents what it means to be American.
New York’s five boroughs contain the histories of countless communities who contribute to the American spirit: European immigrants from Italy, Haitians, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and many other cultures. All of these cultures are now concentrated in the one place known as the capital of the world. The United States itself is a country whose human geography has been shaped by immigration. We are, at our core, a nation of immigrants, yet immigration remains one of the most contentious topics in American politics.
We live in a reality where politicians are often pressured to compromise their humanity for the sake of advancing policy agendas. Immigration raids have continued to increase anxiety in cities and communities across the United States, especially in Miami. Colloquially known as “North Cuba,” Miami is home to some of the largest Haitian, Cuban, Dominican, Jamaican, and Bahamian diaspora communities in the country.
Much of the rhetoric surrounding immigration has been fueled by claims that certain groups are “illegal,” and do not belong because they are not American. Yet many of these individuals come from countries in North America. Does that not make them American? Because, apparently, to be American means fitting a certain definition of American identity.
But what does it actually mean to be American?
Consider 1776, during the nation’s fight for independence. There were enslaved African Americans who helped the colonies fight for independence from Great Britain. Consider that striking juxtaposition: enslaved people supporting a cause centered on freedom while they themselves remained unfree.
Benjamin Banneker famously wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson pointing out this contradiction and calling attention to the hypocrisy of a nation demanding liberty while denying it to others.
A point that has not always been studied closely is the evolution of identity. Enslaved Africans brought to the United States through the Transatlantic Slave Trade were once labeled simply as Africans. Later, they became African Americans. One could argue that this is merely a change in terminology, but identity has always carried meaning. Did becoming “African American” suddenly mean they finally belonged within the American identity?
Our country was built through the labor of enslaved people on land taken from Indigenous nations. If anyone could claim the deepest ancestral ties to the North American continent, it would be Indigenous peoples.
Consider Nat Turner and the countless efforts to abolish slavery in the United States. When sacrifices were made in the struggle for freedom, were those Americans not worthy of belonging?
Consider the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and the sacrifices African Americans made during the Civil War to preserve the Union. When their blood was shed, were they not American?
Consider World War II. African American soldiers returned home after fighting for democracy abroad only to face lynchings, segregation, and Jim Crow laws. When their blood was shed, were they not American?
What about Japanese Americans who were placed in internment camps during World War II? Were they any less American? What about families in Alaska or descendants of more recent immigrants? Are they less American than those whose ancestry traces back to the original thirteen colonies?
Though it is often the center of debate, it is an indubitable truth that the meaning of the American flag has changed over the years. Today, it represents the variety of cultures, backgrounds, and political viewpoints that make up the United States.
History reminds us that we reap what we sow. The Knicks’ championship run beautifully encapsulates the diversity of America. How can we truly be the United States of America if we allow ourselves to remain divided?
Too often, we place politics over people and policies before progress.What makes someone American is not ancestry, ethnicity, or bloodline. It is an unbreakable spirit. It is the willingness to rebel against injustice and unite around a common cause. It’s the willingness to work together to address challenges not only within our country but throughout the world.
So who gets to be American? Anyone willing to contribute to the ongoing story we know today as America.