This is not who we are. Those are the words Americans will invariably hear after a horrific incident of violence. These statements belie the reality of mass shootings, which have reached a level that is unimaginable in other countries. Public officials will engage in the politically pre-requisite verbiage that there is no place for racism, homophobia, misogyny or xenophobia. Yet politicians have already started the Islamophobia onslaught against the winner of the NYC Democrat Mayoral primary, winner Zohran Mamdani.

It is believed that the majority of Americans do not subscribe to violence or the various isms that are an ever-present aspect of society. Unfortunately, history shows that despite a rejection by most people, it has always been part of the American landscape. The plethora of these types of incidents suggests it is part of the nation’s DNA.

On the other hand, American history is filled with examples of great acts of kindness and generosity exhibited during times of disaster. Neighbors coming to the aid of one another after a catastrophic event is not an unusual occurrence. Whether through the wildfires of California or various floods and hurricanes that have ravaged parts of the nation, Americans are quick to lend a hand. This includes the Johnstown Flood of 1889, where support for the victims came from around the nation and the world. This notion of neighbors supporting each other is also an essential part of the American personality.

Nowhere was this more evident than after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. In the aftermath of that horrific event, neighbors from across the nation came to New York to help and support the victims of that attack. Yet incidents of violence increased against people who were deemed to be Muslim.

The history of America is replete with stories of people marching alongside people who look different from them to fight for equal rights. This was quite evident during the civil rights movement. Despite language towards immigration that is sadly reminiscent of Hitler, there are millions of Americans who are working to help those who come to the shores assimilate into society. These historical truths are also part of the DNA of the nation.

These varying characteristics of the nation can make America seem schizophrenic to those looking in from the outside.

Born out of violent rebellion, America is a nation of great possibilities, accomplishments, opportunities, ironies and hypocrisy. It is a nation that rebuilt Europe after World War II but was also the first to use an atomic bomb, which killed thousands perhaps unnecessarily. It is a nation that speaks of freedom yet has a dark history of the enslavement of people. America speaks glowingly of the importance and centrality of democracy and freedom, even as it denied both to over half of its population for a significant part of its history

Those who acted on the promise of America were often met by those who believed in a racial and gender hierarchy that would deny equal rights and representation despite the fact that the nation’s founding documents, namely the constitution, provides oppressed people the path towards equality albeit unintentionally.

America is a nation that reveres its right of free speech but saw fit to restrict those rights during WW I. As the United States entered the war, it used the Espionage Act against people who spoke out against the war. It was used against Jehovah’s Witnesses and socialist Eugene Debs was incarcerated as a result. Debs consequently ran for president from jail and received over one million votes. The nation revels in the words from Emma Lazarus’ poem the New Colossus, “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,” written on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Yet its history with immigration is mixed. In recent times people such as white nationalist Stephen Miller now the deputy chief of staff to Donald Trump refuted those words when he said, “the poem you are referring to which was added later is not part of the original Statue of Liberty.” Historically he is correct as the statue was dedicated in 1886. Nonetheless, her words, which were added in 1903, have come to symbolize the welcoming of immigrants to the shores of the nation.

While there have been magnanimous examples of immigrants being welcomed, including the amnesty provided by President Ronald Reagan and DACA by President Barack Obama, it also has a history of xenophobic tendencies. The history of the nation, despite its founding documents, is a nation that can be defined in many ways. There is no doubt that America is a great nation. At its best, it is a city on a hill as defined by John Winthrop. It is the nation of choice for people seeking freedom and opportunity. At its worse; it is also a nation that has perpetrated a legacy of pain upon segments of its population, where the scars remain as a stark reminder of the past.

It is a nation where in 1955 a black man named Emmett Till was beaten to death for looking at a white woman and in 2024 elected a man found guilty of sexual abuse to the highest office in the land. Nonetheless, America is a nation whose aspirational ideals are worth fighting for.

As the nation is in a battle about who, what it is, and who it is for, the question is which American characteristic shall emerge victorious. Hopefully, for many people in the long run, it is not the one that emerged victoriously on November 5th, 2024.

Today the Supreme Court handed down its decision about Temporary Protected Status stating that the Trump administration can end TPS which will affect 350 thousand Haitian and 6,000 Syrians. It should be no surprise that the opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito refused to acknowledge the racial animus of President Trump particularly his Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Vice President JD Vance.  Who can forget the deliberate lie told by Vance about Haitians eating pets, a lie despite his supposed conversion to Catholicism he has yet to apologize for?

Once again, we will hear the sad refrain of this is not who we are. In reality it is a part of the nation’s DNA

The Supreme Court will soon render its decision on another issue namely birth right citizenship as defined by the 14th amendment. While the words of the 14th amendment clearly support those who support birthright citizenship the animus shown at times by Chief Justice Roberts and Alito suggests they could find a way to overturn it.