HARD TO CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY

WHEN BIGOTRY, RACISM AND ABLEISM ARE RUINING AND ENDING

THE LIVES OF PEOPLE OF COLOR AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

I think I live in the wrong world.

I don’t feel like American lives up to all the fireworks, bunting and revelry meant to celebrate good things symbolized by Independence Day.

Anger, hate, bullying, bigotry -- seems like at least half the "leaders" who impact my daily life trade in it.Some veiled, most not so much. It takes a lot out of me.

It physically sickens me when someone is made to feel 2nd (is there a 10th?) class...simply for being a person of color, a person with a disability.

I question if I will live long enough to truly live in an America that values equity and true equal opportunity.

When traveling, to say I'm from the USA brings the sting of shame from living in nation where the a president who fans the flames of white supremacy daily and never apologized for mocking a person's disability on TV.

Though we are a democracy, the U.S. has never truly had a level playing field for all.

Even in our best decades, this nation has not been truly inclusive.

In my first four decades, I at least embraced the hope that each generation was standing on the shoulders of the previous -- trying to make things better, trying to create fair play.

Now, the past several, I feel like the racists, the bigots, the bullies, the outright murders and destroyers -- have kicked the good efforts out from under us.

In terms of an America that embraces diversity and has a place at the table for all -- how many decades will it take to rebuild?

How much blood, how many tears must be shed till we are where we need to be...when we weren't even close to being where we should be BEFORE this regression into hate, racism, ableism?