From the founding of our nation until now, there’s been an open question of who we are as a country.  Whose country is it? To whom does it belong? Which people make up the “real America?” Who is wanted and welcomed and who is “othered” and shunned? What is our true national identity? Are we more of a split personality entity? Are there two Americas? Is racism  actually a prominent part of our national DNA?

 We all know that there is no way to solve a problem or repair what is broken if those involved don’t agree that there is a problem or that something is broken. Here’s to hoping that we can engage this issue, make actual progress, and let data and lived experience trump opinion and ideology.