“America is a land of loud, opinionated people.”

“When I think of America, I think of a place where buildings are disposable, human beings are viewed as capital, and where the earth takes the brunt of our insatiable, broken greed.”

“Land of the free? Only for some. ”

“My America is quiet. We are at rest, we are at peace. We have regressed to a child-like state as full grown adults, with an ability to be enveloped, unshackled and dismantled by even just a single hug, because we are finally capable of thinking only about that moment and nothing else. ”

“Complete this sentence: When I think of America, I think of ___________ 

’Opportunity and ungratefulness.’”

“Can you share a memory or personal experience that underscored a fundamental problem/struggle in America? 

’We will never have a perfect society, and to dwell on the negative is really tough for our society right now. “Fundamental” is subjective. I’m a 43 year old gay man, so my problem/struggle is NOT what it used to be. I was told by my christian mother I was going to hell and by my hateful father that I would get older, get AIDS, die a horrible death and burn in hell.’ ”

“My America looks like pointillism. Because we are all living through a view of one life, it feels grand, immense, consuming, and self centered. In reality, even though it’s beyond our comprehension, we are a millipede leg, a single fly lens fluttering in the vastness of space. ”

“When I think of America, I simply think of red, white, and blue.

For some, that may bring them joy by thinking of juicy red slices of watermelon, clear skies full of bright white clouds, and blue bodies of water filled with families enjoying one another on the 4th of July weekend.

When I think of the colors red, white, and blue, it doesn’t bring me joy. Instead, I feel a sense of sadness and anger.

When I think of the color red, I think of the bloody covered streets that look like my people were actively fighting in a warzone, but instead, they were marching for equal rights in Selma, Alabama.

When I think of white, I think of the four little black girls who walked into church wearing pretty white church dresses excitedly walking into Sunday school but were instead found lifeless and deformed by a bomb thrown into the place of worship.

When I think of the color blue, I think of the countless dark blue and purple bodies that hung lifeless from a tree. They weren’t punished for any crime but simply because people hated the color of their skin and saw it as enjoyment to see my people hang so lifelessly from the sycamore trees.

So think about it: is America really the same for you and me?”

“For me, America is a hodgepodge of good and bad. It is the country of greasy food, country music, and aggressive individuality. It is a country easily swept away by social media trends, especially the dangerous ones. It has its own melody: cicadas and crickets at night, ridiculously strong winds during the day… and there’s no sound as beautiful as a southern thunderstorm. I would stay in America forever just for some Texas barbeque ribs! ”

“My America looks like ducking under a desk as a classmate starts to pray, my vision blurring as the cops enter the room, their guns tucked against their waists, a vest with US Marshal velcroed on the front. My America is fearing for my life at every bang, hoping my friends and family will be okay, and preparing myself to die a martyr for a cause that wants me dead.”

“Complete this sentence: ‘When I hear the word “America”, I see _____________.’ 

An eagle. I’m serious, I do. Maybe an old 1980 VHS tape reel, sort of torn, sort of discolored, plenty of dirt on the film, showing an eagle flying over a superimposed waving flag. I feel like some sort of video was played back when I was a kid when we had to say the pledge of allegiance every morning before class started.”

“What is one critique of America that you’d like to bring to attention? 

’Americans have locked themselves in a state of victimhood without ownership of their own actions. The state of blaming others and not yourself for your achievements or lack thereof in life is rampant. I think it is destroying society.’ ”

“America sounds like cows... and a field with wind blowing through your hair. And also at the same time, it sounds like heavy machinery trying to fix the roads.”

“My America sounds like the clash of continents – the East and West, the North and South, colliding into consonance. It smells of freshly cooked rice and hotdogs, or kimchi and mac n cheese. It looks like light streaming through a stained glass window. We are at our best when our many different parts intertwine.”

“Complete this sentence: No American Mirror would be complete without ___

’You.’”