Of Thee I Sing

As a daughter of immigrants, Fourth of July means patriotism and gratitude, but today, I am sad. 

The American Dream is very real in my lived experience.  My parents chased it, and I am eternally grateful to be raised as an American. The great divide we see in our country today, even as we celebrate its 250 years of existence, fills me with sadness.

Today I am remembering the song I wrote about patriotism in 2016. That was the year Trump ascended to the presidency, and half the country was caught off guard because the other half had been quietly struggling and fomenting anger in rural America.

In the decade to follow: Kaepernick kneels, Black Lives Matter protests erupt, a global pandemic shuts down the world as we know it, AAPI hate crimes surge, January 6th. And the division continues to deepen to this day.

The song is called Of Thee I Sing. On the EchoPlex, I lay down This Land Is Your Land, then harmonize with America the Beautiful, then overlay God Bless America, then My Country 'Tis of Thee. Four patriotic songs, layered fragments as if the singer can’t remember the words.  And then the final notes of "of thee I sing" become the opening of Purple Rain.

Red and blue make purple. If “red” America and “blue” America can find forgiveness and acceptance, perhaps we too could be laughing together in the purple rain.  Happy Birthday America.

July 3, 2026