A Burning Issue

We are a group of people from the Amherst community who are responsible for the flag-burning protest at the Assembly for Patriotism at Amherst College on Thursday, October 18, 2001. We don't have one identity. We represent no institution. We each come from different struggles, and we all bring different ideas to the table. We are writing to respond to the heated dialogue surrounding last Thursday's events to explain our motivations behind this action.

The American flag represents freedom, democracy, and unity to some, but to others it symbolizes the opposite. The United States of America is built upon a history of violence and repression. This began with the genocide of Native Americans who inhabited this land before the arrival of European colonizers and it continued as Black people were brought here as slaves to provide the labor necessary for the country's development. Still today, Mexicans living in the West are regarded as "illegal aliens" in a land that was their home long before it was conquered by the U.S. in 1848, and immigrants continue to arrive every day to this country sold on the "American dream", only to be forced into menial work deemed unfit for "real Americans." The construction and maintenance of America depends on the marginalization and exploitation of those excluded.

This nation was shaped not only by founding fathers, politicians, generals and businessmen, but also by the popular struggles that resisted them, from slave revolts and "Indian wars" to the Civil Rights Movement and urban uprisings. While many struggled for liberation, the U.S. military fought wars of conquest for global supremacy and economic domination in the name of freedom. Freedom means different things to different people. Freedoms of property ownership and upward mobility are granted to some Americans at the expense of freedoms of survival and self-determination for much of the rest of the world. At this time, the American flag is being invoked to celebrate one particular vision of freedom, without regard to contradictions within and resistance to that vision.

Since September 11th, the media has been portraying an unprecedented unity among diverse communities. During this time, people who have been historically marginalized (i.e. Blacks, Latinos, queers, etc.) are granted temporary insider status, while those who are perceived to be Arab, Muslim or Middle Eastern are further alienated and attacked. Now, as always, national pride is dependent on the invention and persecution of a common enemy. America is not just a place, it is a false notion of a unified people, defined more by who is excluded than who is included. To defend this concept of America is to declare war on those positioned outside of its boundaries, and on those who call its legitimacy into question.

Although all nations have histories of violence, we oppose the way that the United States constitutes itself as a superpower through the intersection of imperialism, racism and nationalism. The U.S. follows in a long tradition of colonial empires, employing enforced economic dependency and cultural imperialism as techniues of domination. This is why we choose to burn the American flag--not to express hatred for this place or the people who live here, but to delegitimize the symbol of nationalistic fervor and to recognize forgotten histories of resistance. We do not wish to disrespect those who lost lives or loved ones on September 11th. We simply refuse to continue the pattern of valuing the lives of U.S. citizens over others. We put these American victims in context with all the casualties in the ongoing war waged by U.S. imperialism. America is a war, and all wars have casualties.

In countries that overtly censor dissidents, thousands have been risking their lives in anti-America demonstrations. Here, where we supposedly have unparalleled freedoms, we internalize the government's repression. This creates fear and self-censorship in our minds and bodies. It turns us against ourselves and our communities, and silences us. The government doesn't have to censor this message; it can allow this criticism to be printed without fear of public response. We are afraid to demonstrate because, as dissenters, we face losing our jobs and being threatened, silenced, and marginalized by other citizens and the police. Even more so, the marginalized communities in this country face police brutality, institutionalized repression, and relentless bigotry on a daily basis, eliminating the voice of those who have the most cause to speak out.

Though it can be difficult, we are compelled to act because we recognize that we have the privilege and freedom to do so without severe repercussions. This freedom is meaningless if it remains unused. Since our actions, many have insisted that if we don't like this country, then we should just leave. However, we understand the interconnected destructiveness of all nation-states, and recognize that we cannot escape the influence of the U.S. or our complicity in that legacy. We carry the U.S. inside of us, even as we cross borders. Since we grew up here, this must be our starting point.

Thank you to all those who listened, engaged and supported us.
We can be contacted at burningissue@hotmail.com