What Makes America Greater?
The slogan “Make America Great Again” has had a large surge of popularity, created by Fmr. President Ronald Reagan and repopularized by President Donald Trump’s campaign team. The slogan implies that America, as it is/was at the time of the campaign, needs to be improved; that the “old days” should be returned to. It implies that not only the traditional presidential approach should be revised, but also the political ideology of the nation.
To firstly unpack the slogan, America has never truly been “great.” The old glory days that the slogan refers to are years of pain and suffering felt by minorities across the nation, as well as internationally, due to military presence and diplomatic efforts. No matter where you look in American history, there is guaranteed to be at least one dark moment in time, where at least one (but typically multiple) minority group(s) are being persecuted.
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Since Donald Trump’s re-inauguration in 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and the deportation of undocumented immigrants have been made a priority. With a strong focus on Hispanic and Latino individuals, this policy has been, in several cases, manipulated to target American citizens with rightful documentation; However, documented or not, the circumstances imposed on the people targeted by ICE are debilitatingly inhumane. With the implementation of “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida or other strikingly bleak prison camps nationwide, these conditions are unsuitable for any human, regardless of citizenship status.
This is also extremely similar to another “dark moment” in American history: the Japanese American internment of the 1940s. People of a non-white demographic were forced to relocate to the incarceration camps littered around the nation. Modern times have revamped the strategy, complete with even more violent and disgustingly horrible conditions. With more documentation available in the modern day, it has been made obvious that the victims of these raids have been subject to physical and mental harassment within their incarceration camps; sexual harassment, physical abuse, and psychological strain have all been named as the harms of ICE’s grip, yet it seems this is the perfect future the Government has envisioned for us.
As our neighbors are violently attacked in front of our very eyes, the future can seem bleak. However, in addition to genuine protest and attempts to change the status quo, one of the biggest forms of resistance is joy. Resisting the dark present forced on us is made easier once you understand how much resistance has taken place in the past, as well as the shared experiences of those who came before us. At some point, once removed from all societal functions, one only has joy; this can be heavily used to our advantage.
Black Americans have been integral in the creation of an American culture; while many like to argue that America has no culture, this is exclusive of the centuries that have gone into developing a distinct African-American culture. Not to mention the countless other minority groups who have made their presence known in this country, the American culture is distinctly immigrant-created. This comes from the fact that, quite literally, the only people in this country who are not immigrants are indigenous. Indigenous culture is American culture; everyone else came afterwards.
To further this point, America has been built by immigrants for centuries. The most notable example of this is the torturous, forced enslavement of millions of African and Indigenous people. As much as our current government attempts to rid this country of all minority presence, this country cannot, and has not, functioned without minorities. From the several accounts of minorities being employed to work difficult, labor-intensive jobs that their white counterparts didn’t prefer, to the modern-day job market that has been strengthened by the millions of minorities residing here, minorities have had a crucial role in creating the American identity.
Understanding this vital role has incredible effects on the commemoration of the minorities who have put in years of effort to build a nation that actively puts them down. Celebrating these efforts actively disempowers a white-centric nation and puts emphasis on some of the real figures worth celebrating in this country. So – all in all, America is not “Great,” but it becomes greater with the millions of minorities who have diversified, built, and added their own unique cultures to the nation.
