I.
We, as Americans, like to entertain and maintain the thought that America is,
And always has been,
The most diverse and culturally accepting country. We ignore
History and the counterexamples it provides
Because those are dark parts of our past, of which
We do not enjoy being reminded.

II.
However, through all the
Trials, and forcing people from their homeland,
And lynchings, and Klans, and
Angry mobs intended to run those different out,
And wars that divided families, towns, states, an entire country
We have learned

III.
It is just as we were taught when we were children,
By parents wanting to teach us valuable life lessons,
That nobody is perfect
That we all make mistakes;
The we learn from our past mistakes.

IV.
We have learned that certain
Behaviors do not permit someone to be outcast or killed, certain
Colors do not make one worthy of being nothing more than a slave, certain
Religions do not make one a terrorist, certain
Cultures do not dub some to excel at nothing, others to excel at everything, and certain
Genders do not decree what a person can and cannot do.

V.
Our past does not entirely define who we are
Nor what we do.
We are all different, in different ways;
Race, religion, ethics, gender, personal choices, politics
Our differences make us individuals, unique.
Diversity means we are different.
And stronger because of it.

VI.
America is still young
Still making mistakes
Still learning from its mistakes
Still amending its mistakes
Slowly.
But surely.