Both Morbitzer and his YAL chapter were denied the basic liberties that we hold so dear. Hearing about the experience of Chris Morbitzer, an individual who founded the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter at the University of Cincinnati, shocked me. The lack of this basic and essential freedom is now my biggest fear. Unfortunately, this guarantee can no longer be taken for granted at universities. I always took for granted that a place of higher learning is a place where all students are not only able, but are encouraged, to share their differing ideas. But, never did I expect to be concerned about my freedom of speech. As a high school junior, it is my expectation to be nervous about certain things in college. It shocked me to find that these words do not ring true at many of our universities in this great country. The voices of others, she told me, always need to be heard. My grandmother implored me to make certain that “the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,” is something that rings true for generations to come. Under the Nazi regime, no one was able to effectively speak on behalf of the 11 million Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, and other minorities who were murdered. It is also the “Home of the Brave,” because there are people here who are willing to stand up for causes that resonate with them without regard for their popularity. My grandmother told me that the United States is truly “the Land of the Free,” because here anyone is entitled to stand up for the values that matter to them. ![]() They had endured the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe, the tortures of the concentration camps, the murder of their families and the destruction of their communities. When I asked what had caused them to be so moved, my grandmother told me that the United States had given a voice to both her and to my grandfather. Yet for the rest of us, they were sung as if by rote. While attending a baseball game with my grandparents, we rose from our seats, along with tens of thousands of others in attendance, to sing the “Star Spangled Banner.” As the song ended and the crowd sang the final words in unison, “O’er the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,” I noticed that those words seemed to hold special meaning for my grandparents. When I think back on my favorite childhood memories, one immediately comes to mind, one that I will never forget.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |