Diane Guerrero: Why the Fourth of July Is a Time for Activism
I think it's always been sort of difficult for people of color to celebrate the Fourth of July and really understand what that means. Freedom has not always meant the same for everyone in this country. We knew that to be true then, and we know that to be true now. With this new presidency, everything seems to be so much more in our faces, which is unfortunate. However, it does make us take a look at our country a little more clearly. It makes us think about what freedom actually means, and how it means different things for different people.
People have been so complacent, so apathetic to politics, to what's happening in our government. And it's easy to feel like, Well, it's not really affecting us, or It's just too hard to go from here. How can I help? But it is affecting us. We are seeing that people around us are unsafe, that black people are being killed by police, that kids were being taken from their families and put into cages. Our rights are being stripped away little by little.
Today, we have social media. We have technology that is bringing all this information to us so much faster than it used to. There is no longer a time where people can say, "That doesn't apply to me." People are being targeted for their race, their religion, their gender, who they love, where they’re from, and more. Right now, we are thinking more intersectionally, and understanding that we cannot turn a blind eye to any particular issue, that every issue is my issue and your issue. And it's something that we all need to be aware of and all need to be proactive about.
I am a proud American, regardless of the fact that my parents were separated from me forcefully. Millions of families are living with this fear every day. I am still traumatized. I still have to suffer some of these consequences. I know how hard it is to get out of that, to survive from that. We need immigration reform. We have to change the way that people think of immigrants in this country. We have to educate our communities about the immigration system, and dispel the myths that have been fed to us. Immigration isn't going to go away. A wall isn't going to "solve" the issue. Deporting 11 million people isn't going to solve the issue.
I talk about family separation because it's been a part of my life for all of my life. My first book, In the Country We Love, was my personal story and my way to get people thinking differently about immigration and how wrong it is to separate families, and about the damaging rhetoric about the immigrant community that simply is not true. My second book, My Family Divided, is a continuation of that, but for younger kids.
It has been difficult to really put myself out there in this way because I am an actor, because I have so many interests, because there's so much more to me. This is just one part of my life, but I'm so happy that I've shared my story with kids who are going through similar things. It's important to let them know that they're not alone and that we can face our problems head on and love ourselves and say, "We belong here." And I still have hope about changing things.
Marching is a way to remind ourselves and the country — and especially these kids who are suffering the most — that they are not alone, that we are in this together, that we must fight so that this stops happening. We need to remind people that they have a responsibility as citizens of this country to get engaged. All of this should be a call to action so that everyone votes in November, so that we don't continue being taken advantage of like this.
I still feel proud of all the things that this country is supposed to stand for, and what this country's definition of freedom is supposed to mean. I look at my experiences as an opportunity to see all the good things that I have, and then also look at the negative things where I can maybe be a part of the change.
What does being an American mean to me? Fighting for what you believe in, and fighting for justice and equality for all. I still believe that this country is great and it will be great, as long as we acknowledge how this country was built, and on whose backs it was built. If we understand that, we can turn that mess into something beautiful. Only then can we really believe in and achieve equality and justice for all, not just equality and justice for some.
This Fourth of July, especially, we should all look at this as an opportunity to ask, how can I serve my life better? and take a look at everything that is going on. So many people are suffering, so many people are being used for political gain. So this time, celebrate the opportunity to try to be a part of the change that may come, that can come, with unity and with civic engagement, with participation in your community, any way that you can. This is a good opportunity to look in the mirror and say, “What can I do?”
Diane Guerrero is an author and award-winning actor who appeared as Maritza Ramos in Orange Is the New Black for five seasons. Diane's second book, My Family Divided, will be published on July 17.
As told to Ella Cerón.
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