As an American I have the right to disagree with what is going on in my country. I have the right to speak up and speak out about anything in my country. And I have a right to peacefully protest in any way that I choose against the policies and laws of my country.
I am still an American when I 'take a knee' or refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I am still an American when I say "Black Lives Matter." My actions do not signify disrespect, but protest. And I am still an American when I decry the shameful, hate filled rhetoric being spewed by the highest elected officials of government.
I refuse to allow anyone else to define who is an American and who belongs here. I disagree with many of the policies of this current administration and it's derogatory statements about people of color, women, immigrants, people with different religions, and people with different abilities. These statements only seek to bring divisiveness, fear, and hatred. And I am appalled that many members of the Republican Party and Evangelical leaders stand quietly by as this cancerous wound festers and grows.
I am an American and I'm not going anywhere! I love my country and what it can be. But no one can define for me what is means to be an American. No one can decide for me how I choose to protest injustice. I am an American! And no one can tell me that I am don't belong here!