Recently, a number of questions have been raised about the sincerity of African American patriotism.  These concerns were raised when Senator Obama declined to wear a flag lapel-pin and were greatly amplified by the uncensored criticism of Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  Suddenly, when African Americans were critical of U.S. policy or indicted our nation of institutional racism, we were somehow labeled, unpatriotic.

What White America doesn't understand is the complicated nature of African Americans' love affair with this country.  As the only ethnic group brought to this nation in chains, worked like cattle, and declared to be non-human, we would appear to have little reason for patriotism.  Yet despite years of slavery, brutality, lynching, and Jim Crow laws, African Americans bled and died in every war this nation would allow.  We worked hard to raise and educate our children, often sacrificing all we had to assure that the next generation could have opportunities that we didn't have.

This seemingly paradoxical behavior was and is motivated by the belief that somehow our sacrifice would demonstrate our worthiness to be treated as full-fledge citizens. Yet after working in factories to support the war effort, after returning to this country as decorated veterans of war, we were still relegated to separate and unequal schools and neighborhoods and never quite afforded our share of the American dream.

So, emboldened by the prophetic ministry of the Black church, we have always called our national sin by its right name.  We marched, protested, and critiqued an ungrateful nation in the name of justice and equality.  Both then and now, we continue to love this country, not for its malevolent hatred of our very existence, but because we have always believed in its promise.  We indeed do hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.  We still believe in the principles upon which this nation was founded.  We still pray that one day this nation will live up to the true meaning of its creed.

So understand it or not, I contend that African Americans are among the most patriotic Americans.  For despite our historic mistreatment in this land, we still believe, we still hope, we still work to make the American dream come true for every citizen.

We love America, even when its self-evident truths aren't so evident.