As I stood on the corner of Chestnut and Hope streets, I felt the tingle of pride and patriotism that the parade engendered in the eager crowd standing — slightly socially distant — …
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As I stood on the corner of Chestnut and Hope streets, I felt the tingle of pride and patriotism that the parade engendered in the eager crowd standing — slightly socially distant — around me. The wonderful baritone, with the benefit of technology broadcasting an orchestral accompaniment, inspired the silence of the crowd — hands on our hearts for our national anthem.
The masked dignitaries and their children rode by as we imagined their smiles and their pride and joy in the moment. A few bands added a festive flavor and held the crowd’s attention. And I thought how long and hard the Fourth of July planning committee had worked to ensure the continuity of Bristol’s pride — our hometown parade — 235 years of rolling down main street. And yet, something very important was missing.
Might we have found a way to include a recognition of those black lives that fought and died in the Revolutionary War and have fought for our country in many wars since — particularly in light of Bristol’s deep involvement in the slave trade? Let us not forget that the first life lost in the effort to achieve independence was that of Chrispus Attucks at the Boston Massacre. Might we have paid tribute in some way to America’s growing realization that “all men are created equal”? . . .
Well, maybe next year?
Sandra Landay
Bristol