Time to End the Hyphenated American Thing
The announcer introduces me to the audiences of thousands, “Singer/songwriter of the national America Tea Party Anthem, Mr. Lloyd Marcus!”
I enthusiastically enter the stage, “Hello my fellow patriots! I am not an African American … I am Lloyd Marcus … AMERICAN!” The mostly white crowds go wild with applause and cheers of approval. I feel their relief and gratitude of a black man who loves his country and is not hostile or resentful toward them.
I am traveling across America on the Tea Party Express Tour. We began August 28th in Sacramento, CA. Our 34 city tour will end September 12th in Washington DC. The audience’s emotional response to my, I am not a hyphenated American proclamation has been a big surprise to me. After each rally many approach me, many with tears in their eyes to thank me. They tell me, “I can not begin to tell you how much I appreciate what you said. I’m Irish (or I am Italian), and I would never hyphenate. America doesn’t need things to divide us. It is fine to honor your heritage but, be an American first”.
My long ago decision to go un-hyphenated is not a criticism of blacks who choose to call themselves “African American” and feel a connection to Africa. Their choice is none of my business. I live in Florida. My “mother land” is Baltimore, Maryland, home of the Baltimore Orioles, Hall of Famer Cal Ripken and the best crab cakes on the planet.
This cross-country tour has opened my eyes to the reality that Americans have been held hostage by political correctness. Americans want to be united. They hate hyphenating. In New Mexico, a young man thanked me, “I tell all my friends I am American … not Mexican-American!”
