A Case for Patriotism

A final plea for action from a great-granddaughter of immigrants

This is a photo of my grandmother, Lily.

I have written about her on this Substack before, as she has taken on a kind of mythological importance in my life.

She died in the spring of 2019, and in life, she was the most patriotic person I have ever known.

Lily’s parents were both immigrants to America. They came from Eastern Europe through Ellis Island, right around 1915. Her husband, my grandfather, fought in WWII at the Battle of the Bulge.

Lily was the kind of person who, if you were holding a flag and you accidentally let it touch the ground, she would gasp and wrench it back up into the air. To her, our flag was a symbol of sacrifice that we should respect and honor—Memorial day was like her Super Bowl. We actually held her memorial service on Memorial Day weekend because it meant so much to her.

Lily loved this country, she was so proud to be American. She never let you forget how lucky you were to live in a country with a democracy like ours.

I don’t know who Lily voted for throughout her adult life, or which political party she was affiliated with. But I do know what her values were, and I know that she would not have supported anyone who had disdain for the sacredness of democracy.

I also know that if she were here today, she would tell everyone to go vote. Because voting is an opportunity that not everyone in the world has, and we cannot take it for granted.

You might feel like your voice doesn’t matter, or your vote won’t make a difference, or that all politicians are corrupt, so what’s the point?

But you should vote anyway. Even if you think it doesn’t matter. Because voting is a right that other people have sacrificed so much to protect for us, and it is a privilege that is not guaranteed—even though it should be.

This election year, please honor that privilege, this precious right that Americans have to have a say in who is in charge of this country. You can be disappointed in your country and proud of it at the same time. You can choose to honor the sacrifices that provided you with a voice, and then use that voice to ask for more progress and more accountability from the leaders you help elect.

But don’t take it for granted.

Some people are out there saying, fight, fight, fight!

Lily and I say, vote, vote, vote!

If you need help figuring out how, where, or when to vote, visit Vote Save America for information about voting in your state.