I find your "citizen of the world" view to be dangerously Pollyanna. All of what you enjoy and appreciate about being an American is a product of people who resided within the geographical boundaries of this country agreeing to abide certain laws and social morals and ethics. You CANNOT maintain such sans controlling who is permitted into this country, especially since many of those who seek to come here not only do NOT necessarily share your altruistic view but might even KILL you for disagreeing with them.
In addition, do not tell me an unemployed American husband and father should NOT be bothered about people who are NOT legal citizens and residents taking jobs that he previously held and/or would work.
There is much more freedom of personal and religious expression in this country than you appear to refer to. I defy you to describe a place you can more freely express yourself. Then I defy to declare whether you would tender your American citizenship and abscond to THAT particular place.
No one is stopping US Black foks from commemorating our enslaved ancestors. WE can created “ribbons” to honor our ancestors. WE can lobby for monuments that honor them OR build them OURSELVES and place them where have the right and power to
I agree we should allow homosexuals to live however they want provided such does not intrude upon others. We are, perhaps, more slowly than you prefer getting there. However, we ARE getting there.
Whether those who oppose abortion would or would not do anything to cane for someone else’s baby does not have a dayam thing to do with whether abortion is murder and whether it should be legal. Just because one does not believe others should be allowed to kill their own children does NOT mean that one should be required to take care of other foks kids.
There never would have been Jazz, Blues and Spirituals sans slavery and all the oppression born of such. They (and myriad other wondrous aspects of our history) are the babes born of a very painful and bloody childbirth.
The ONLY unconditional love there is is between that of a parent and a child. All OTHER forms of love, including that between a citizen and a country, will and should be laced with conditions and complexity.