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In response to Laura Yuen’s June 9 column “It’s Time for Ordinary Americans (Including Liberals) to Reclaim the U.S. Flag”:
I love flags. I love driving by a house and seeing that the person is a Gopher fan, or knowing they probably have a story to tell about their Pride flag, or seeing the proud Minnesota neighbor flying the new state flag. I love that flags can be huge and majestic and can be printed on a $5 t-shirt sold at the gas station.
I took Yuen’s “radical idea” to heart. But I didn’t do it alone. With the help of Beyoncé and the small town of Excelsior’s commitment to Fourth of July celebrations, I’m reclaiming the flag, one patriotic cropped vest at a time.
My favorite thing to do is listen to Beyoncé’s latest album, “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” on AirPods during an evening stroll through Excelsior, where I live with my husband and three kids (no dog). This week, every lamppost on Main Street was hung with flags and signs advertising Fourth of July fireworks, a 10K run, and a kids’ bike parade to celebrate the best day of the year—outdoors, together. Boutiques are stocked with all kinds of patriotic looks, and I snagged a cute cropped sweater vest to wear on the big day. Beyoncé’s “American Requiem” in my ear urges us not to ignore the past, but to “let the love in.”
My 8-year-old daughter’s favorite time to listen to Beyoncé’s latest album is when she’s in the car on a warm summer night, the windows rolled down, the bass blaring through the car seat. The other day, about halfway through “Ya Ya” – a genre-bending song that just makes you want to dance – I had an epiphany: Beyoncé is doing more to bring back the flag than any politician could. The album is raw and sends serious social messages about what’s wrong here and who has been wronged. At times, its anger is almost limitless, then you’re carried back, “salty tears beyond (your) sight,” to love and hope for the future if we protect it (my personal favorite: “Protector”). Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Jon Batiste, Miley Cyrus and Gary Clark Jr. are all part of the team. It makes everyone want to be a cowboy/cowgirl, no matter where you come from or who you are. Beyoncé is reclaiming the flag, and she’s sexy, she’s chic, and she’s stomping through the streets with joy.
Beyoncé is way cooler than I could ever be, and I can’t keep up with her patriotic outfits, but when I pull my flag cardigan over my head, I see the whole story behind it and am grateful for the artists who make my country clearer. I’m grateful to live in a city where we can walk to a parade and come together on a beach and in a public park; I’m all for the red, white and blue.
Sarah Nelson of Excelsior is sales manager.
