“We hold these truths to be self-evident — that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These words, etched into the Declaration of Independence, are the very identity of this nation — the basis of what this union stands for. However, as a Black person born and raised in the United States of America, it appears to me that these are not “truths” nor are they “self-evident.”

Currently, these “truths” are violated in front of our very eyes on a daily basis through actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the Trump administration. We must understand: the discrimination and violence we see broadcasted every day on our social media feed is nothing new. However, this time, it is transpiring with disturbing openness.

Rutaiba Siddiqui, president of BridgeDePaul, a nonpartisan student-run political organization on campus, agrees. 

“The problem isn’t that these people exist — because they’ve always existed,” Siddiqui said. She continued to say when politicians condone fascism and encourage violence towards immigrants, it makes saying those things “socially acceptable.”

Siddiqui came to the U.S. from Pakistan in 2009 at the age of four. As an immigrant, she’s deeply concerned about the path this country is on.

This country “owes it to its migrants to keep them safe, to make them supported, equal opportunity, equal treatment,” she said.

For a country that has exploited its migrants and minorities for so long — including its farmers and factory workers — safety and equality should be the bare minimum, even more so because this country was founded by immigrants. The dominant culture that we consider to be American largely did not come from the indigenous people of this land.

Even today, Siddiqui said she isn’t sure if America has a solidified identity when it comes to the rights of its peoples.

“I’m not saying that the idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness isn’t a good one,” she said. “But I will say it’s vague. There’s no single sentiment that applies across the board to everybody, especially when you’re in such a diverse state.”

I think that’s true. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is subjective. Whose life are we protecting? What if exercising your “liberty” impedes on mine? Whose happiness is the priority? 

For me, the answer is clear: the priority has never been people of color.

Growing up in the South, a descendent of slaves and sharecroppers, I’ve long understood the false promises this country has neglected to keep since its inception. From the Seven Years’ War in the mid-1700s to the war in Afghanistan, every era of this country has been marked by the mistreatment of minority and marginalized groups. This country has carried out violence and discrimination of so many for so long, in direct hypocrisy of its “ideals.” 

To me, that hypocrisy is as much a part of the American identity as the “unalienable rights” mentioned above.

Despite all this, I still remain naively optimistic about the idea of the U.S. and what it could be. 

I still think it could be a place that fully exercises what it means when it says that “all men are created equal.” But how can I be? ICE is currently roaming our streets, hunting undocumented immigrants — and even the very men that drafted those original words in the Declaration of Independence never used them in practice. 

They fought against tyranny — but what’s more tyrannical than owning slaves? 

Going into the 20th century, the United States was viewed as a “melting pot.” Ruby Elliotte, aDePaul junior, thinks that idea is outdated.

“I see America as a place that is constantly evolving even if the systems in our government aren’t evolving with it,” Elliotte said. “We’re at a boiling point right now where we have to drop that concept of identity we had before.”

In times such as these, it can be easy to feel powerless. But the people have the power to change this culture if they dare to do so.

Americans like me want to rid ourselves of this hypocritical disease we have inherited as a country to create a place where we all truly belong.

Even though I have my personal gripes with Thomas Jefferson and the other authors of the declaration, I agree with them on this: When a government violates the rights of its people, “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” 

That, he put, is “most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.”

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