Home, But Not yours

Many Americans proudly trace their heritage to European countries, often identifying as Irish, German, Italian, or other nationalities. This reflects a rich history of immigration, where families sought refuge and better opportunities in the United States. For instance, during periods of conflict such as World War II and the Irish Troubles, numerous European individuals fled their homelands to escape turmoil and seek safety—they were asylum seekers.Additionally, the concept of national borders has evolved over time, significantly impacting the identities and legal statuses of populations. A notable example is the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), which concluded with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty resulted in Mexico ceding approximately 55% of its territory to the United States, including present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.Consequently, individuals residing in these regions found themselves living in a different country without relocating: the border had shifted, not the people. Mexicans in the annexed areas were given the choice to relocate within Mexico's new boundaries or receive American citizenship with full civil rights.This historical context underscores that many who are now considered native to certain U.S. regions were once part of Mexico, highlighting the fluidity of borders and national identities. It also serves as a reminder that immigration is a complex and integral part of American history, affecting diverse populations over time.If immigration and deportation only seem like a problem when it affects you, maybe it’s time to reconsider what that really means. If you're proud of your heritage until it's time to acknowledge that your family was once immigrants too, that’s not patriotism—it’s selective memory.

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LGBTQ+ people have always existed. Same-sex relationships and gender diversity are not new phenomena; they are deeply embedded in human history and observed across countless species in nature. Scientific studies have documented homosexual behavior in over 1,500 animal species, reinforcing the fact that sexuality and gender identity are natural and not merely social constructs. Despite this reality, history has repeatedly attempted to erase LGBTQ+ identities.If you don't like your identity being erased, what gives you the right to erase someone else’s? If you wouldn’t want someone else deciding who you are allowed to love, how you can present yourself, or what you can do with your body and your life, what makes you think you can dictate that for someone else?
Many of the same people who rally against government overreach when it affects their own freedoms actively fight to strip LGBTQ+ individuals of theirs. The contradiction is blatant, yet ignored.

This is How the Holocaust Started

History has already shown us where this road leads. The Holocaust did not begin with mass killings—it began with the erasure of marginalized communities. One of the first acts of Nazi persecution was the destruction of the Institute of Sexual Sciences in Berlin in 1933, a research facility dedicated to LGBTQ+ studies and advocacy. Thousands of documents, medical records, and books were burned in the streets, and some of the first victims of Nazi concentration camps were gay men.The past is not as distant as we’d like to believe. The moment we start erasing identities, banning books, and silencing voices, we are repeating the first steps of history’s darkest chapters.

Stolen Land, Stolen Rights

Long before the United States existed, Indigenous tribes lived, cultivated, and protected these lands. Colonization and westward expansion came at the cost of genocide, displacement, and broken treaties. Entire nations were stripped of their land, their culture outlawed, their children stolen and forced into boarding schools designed to erase their identity.The very people who have spent generations protecting these lands are now being barred from them. Indigenous rangers and National Park Service (NPS) employees, who have dedicated their lives to the stewardship of sacred spaces, are being pushed out as funding is slashed and policies shift. Recent reports indicate that the NPS has lost about 9% of its permanent staff due to buyouts and layoffs. Additionally, approximately 1,000 NPS employees have been terminated as part of federal workforce reductions, and it's not even peak season yet.Simultaneously, millions of acres of national forests and public lands are being stripped of protections and opened to corporate exploitation. An executive order was issued to expand logging across 280 million acres of national forests and public lands, bypassing environmental protections, including the Endangered Species Act. This move threatens the ecosystems that Indigenous communities have fought to preserve for generations.When land is stolen, culture is stolen with it. The erasure of Indigenous sovereignty continues not just through legal battles but in the destruction of the very landscapes that have defined their heritage for thousands of years. Sacred sites are bulldozed for pipelines. Forests are clear-cut for profit. Waterways are poisoned, despite the voices of Indigenous activists fighting to protect them. When you no longer have a vacation area to visit and camp this summer, it's littered with trash, no longer has any shade or beauty after the lumber is sold—will it matter to you then?

History in Black and White

Imagine being told that your grandfather’s achievements in Vietnam or World War II were no longer worth remembering. That his service, his sacrifices, and his legacy had simply been erased—removed from textbooks, deleted from records, and treated as if they never existed.That's exactly what's happening right now: the Pentagon has recently flagged over 26,000 items for removal, including images of the Tuskegee Airmen and other contributions by minorities.Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives ensure individuals are assessed on qualifications rather than biases. Without these protections, ethnic minorities can be overlooked for jobs, leadership roles, and educational opportunities due to systemic racism. Removing DEI isn’t just about history—it actively perpetuates inequality.Black history has been deliberately suppressed in America for generations. Some of the most egregious examples include:
Lost Cause Ideology: Groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy rewrote Civil War history, glorifying the Confederacy and downplaying slavery.
Rosewood Massacre: In 1923, a violent white mob destroyed the Black town of Rosewood, Florida. The event was omitted from history books for decades.One of history’s darkest moments saw books: especially history books—burned to silence perspectives and control public thought. In Nazi Germany, the book burnings of 1933 targeted works by Jewish scholars and critics of the regime, eliminating inconvenient truths.If history can be rewritten or erased, what stops someone from deciding your family's sacrifices and suffering no longer matters? This is the reality being forced upon Black Americans.
We are not just altering history by deleting it—we are repeating it. To move forward, we must confront all aspects of our past and ensure marginalized voices are preserved, lest we become victims to our own actions.