Americaaaaa

By: Gabriela Yareliz

The Fourth of July, a day when I think about the inscription on the statue of liberty:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

A day when patriotism reigns, and we forget the fact that we’ve been racist, imperialists, opportunists and other such things; but instead we embrace the liberty we have offered and the fact that our flag to many is a symbol of safety, sanctuary and freedom. A day when it is great to remember our freedom of religion and diversity. A day to know that despite the country’s flaws… it is great to be an American, because America adopts us all.

I was blessed to go to St. Augustine with a group of friends. We had a splendid time. Between beach time, volleyball, bodysurfing, traffic, oreos, waiting for the mexican restaurant to give us a table, cap wars, photo shoots at Flagler College, snooping, loving our waiter (we named him Jose) and fireworks, we managed to see Captain America and some dude with a flag running barefoot and then with shoes (I guess he found them).

These photos are by Ruby

“And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there. O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”