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July 4th, 2021

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A Declaration of Unity

Before we fire up our grills and raise a toast to our forebears and the soldiers serving this fortunate nation, we ought to ask: Do all Americans enjoy the equal pursuit to happiness and the unalienable rights our nation claims to provide? The haunting truth is a resounding, “NO!” Why can’t some see it? Why can’t some accept it? And, how do we change it?

In an interview with Sara Haines on July 1st, 2021, with The View, South Korean actress, musician, producer, and LA resident, Jihae Kim speaks out about the rise in Asian-American racism since the pandemic and her response to the violence—“Utopia,” her new single track.

“Everyone of us went through such a difficult time [during the Covid lockdowns] not just facing the fears and dealing with the uncertainty of our futures, but all of a sudden, we didn’t know who we were without our work, without our dreams, without our community. [We] were stripped naked with none of the things that usually define us, and we had to find ourselves,”

Jihae’s New Single “Utopia” Has Messages of Love and Unity, The View. “JB Lacroix/ Wire Image/ Getty Images.” 

Deep down all humans crave a utopia—an imagined state of being where life is perfect. Unfortunately, once we attain anything resembling it, we forget to share it. Utopia is perfect equality for all. Presently, in our nation’s climate, utopia doesn’t seem possible, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a reality. What if we answer the racism, the inequality, the unbalanced privilege as Covid selects its victims—with no respect to color, orientation, gender, privilege, or position? Let us strip down to the bare-naked minimum—we are all human, and in a contemporary Christian singer’s words,

“We all bleed the same,” Mandisa.

“Chris Baker/ Syracuse.com”

How can we, the average American, ensure all our community members enjoy the equal pursuit to happiness and unalienable rights?

When in the course of human events…

May we be blind like Covid and lay down the blame and shame. May we move forward with kindness with every breath we take and every word we speak. Every chance we see, create equal opportunity. With every sound, listen with open minds and willing hearts. No idea should be turned away muted. Acknowledge privilege. Snuff out racism. Speak with bold politeness. Lastly, do something good—anything—to help lift another. 

Fellow Americans, this July fourth, two hundred and forty years after our nation’s unanimous declaration of separation and claim to independence, let us shift gears to set forth a new declaration—a declaration of unity. 

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