This reflection is part of my ongoing work on civic renewal, depolarization, and what I call Courageous Citizenship — engaging disagreement without losing our shared humanity.

America is struggling right now — not just politically, but spiritually.

Americans are craving unity — not the performative kind, but something real enough to stand on in a fractured moment. When our institutions speak in the language of belonging, it matters how they do so.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor shared a short message intended to affirm national identity and cohesion. 

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Many of us are exhausted by division. We want something solid to stand on. Something shared. Something that reminds us we still belong to one another.

But good intentions don’t excuse bad civic language — especially when it comes from our institutions.

America has never been “one heritage.”
It has been a permanent argument about inheritance.

If you’d like to read the full essay — including the original post that prompted it and the ongoing reader conversation — you can find it here. 👇🏻👇🏻

https://wilkwilkinson.substack.com/p/unity-without-erasure-a-civic-response?utm_source=activity_item

 

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