Dr. George Jacob-
[Dr. George Jacob FRCGS, is a renowned museologist, author and designer, who was the Project Director for the production of the 1812 Star Spangled Banner exhibit at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution and is the founding director of several stellar museums around the world. The views expressed in this article are his own.]
As a politically divided nation celebrates the uniting values of freedom and liberty, the notion of pluralistic inclusive societies, has never been more relevant than any time in its history. While it is tempestuous to be swayed to the left or right of the liberty bell, it is vital to acknowledge that ultimately the gong rings the tone it is meant to produce in resonance with the greater good.
The fabric of civil societies is woven with threads of many colors that come together to transform tapestries into memories inspired by the creative collective resolve of celebrating our differences and the emotions that bind us as one people. This intangible magic is what brings the inspired American Dream to life and makes the seemingly impossible, possible. What makes America great is Americans are entwined in equity, empathy, engagement, enjoyment and empowered experimentation with excellence.
In the induced cacophony of crises, confusing, often conflicting communication and lack of clarity, it behooves leadership to rise above chaos to refocus on peace prosperity and progress. United States, like many other developed nations has its share of natural and self-inflicted cumulative problems. National Unemployment hovers cyclically around 4% (with Black unemployment at 6%), while California tops 5.2%. Considering the US civilian workforce of 167.73 million jobs, the unemployed are a whopping 6.7 million. Just in under 2 years, homelessness has jumped by an alarming 12.1% to 653, 104 according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development with 37.5% or 250,000 from the Black and 28% from the Hispanic communities. Nearly 40 million live in poverty and about 18 million teeter on the verge of deep poverty. While national debt, cost of living index, excessive consumerism, violent crime, drug pandemic, and income disparity weigh heavily on one side, it is also the land of opportunity where sky is truly the limit and the potential to change the world, a reality.
The effervescent optimism, the ability to take bold and audacious risks, the creative insights to think outside the box, stems from an ecosystem that promotes resolve and resilience from failures to fortune egging the human spirit to strive beyond impediments and leap-frog adversity across sectors from, universities to centers of excellence, bio-tech, fin-tech, space tech, tech to manufacturing, movies, music, sports and plethora of service industries. At the heart of innovation is the inclusive talent pool drawn from the best of the best from around the planet. An almost universal desire among the workforce from blue to white collar, is the intrinsic want to immigrate and make this land of the free, their new home. While Seymour Lipset refers to this unique intersection of egalitarian liberty and capitalist laissez-faire economic democracy, as American exceptionalism, the world views the United States as a global generational outlier, with an inbuilt elasticity to absorb the crests and troughs of times.
The Star Spangled Banner symbolizes the very American values that unite the national fabric and strengthen the collective resolve to rise above differences to triumph in its unwavering dedication to freedom. Some years ago, I was privileged to be the Project Director for the production of the Star Spangled Banner exhibit at the National Museum of American History-Smithsonian’s most treasured national icon.
The original 30’x42’ banner was stitched by Mary Pickersgill in 1812 and was raised over Fort McHenry in 1814 inspiring the American National Anthem penned by Francis Scott Key. The project went like clockwork and the bipartisan re-dedication ceremony was presided over by the outgoing President George W. Bush in 2008, what struck a personal cord in me was the revelation of e pluribus unum- aeternum (Out of many One- eternal) that embodies the true essence of ONE nation. A nation built by immigrants, A nation that celebrates diversity. And a nation that welcomes talent from another country, to work on their national flag.
[Above image caption: Louis Alfonso Jimenez, EAGLE sculpture (on display at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art) symbolizes Mexican and American traditions as it perches on the prickly pear cactus, surrounded by neon slogans of American values. [Photo courtesy: Dr. George Jacob]
