The promise of America was that the policies were supposed to support the people.
It’s not really a question of left or right. It’s about whether we believe in this American promise — a place where anyone can achieve greatness, no matter the circumstances they were born into.
Not everyone was included in the original vision of America. Very obviously, some were expressly excluded even to the point of death. However, hopes and dreams spread. I imagine this happened because the founding ideas were actually pretty good — freedom from religious persecution, freedom to share your perspective without fear of retribution from the government, and the freedom to keep what you’ve worked for.
But the inequities people are facing in 2026 seem eerily similar to those which led to the founding of this country 250 years ago: unbalanced taxation, a concentration of wealth at the top while others go without basic needs, and inequitable access to work and opportunity.
We were supposed to learn from history.
250 years ago, the founding fathers understood the harm that could happen in a country ruled by an unchecked king or a person with unlimited and unquestioned powers. They understood the consequences of not having an independent and truth-telling press.
The country’s founders wanted freedom of speech, the ability to peacefully dissent without facing repercussions from the government. They wanted to elect a leader instead of being led by a king with a so-called divine birthright.
Some of the recent Supreme Court decisions seemingly reflect a return to increased executive authority. This week’s Trump v. Slaughter decision puts more power into the person holding the top seat of the executive branch. This decision makes one wonder if some have collectively forgotten why the founding fathers did not want to have a king in the first place.
I like to say, let’s not un-solve a problem that we have already solved. I other words, if it ain’t broke, then why try to fix it?
Essentially, the founding fathers, though far from perfect leaders themselves, already solved some of these problems. Why then, some 250 years later, would anyone work to un-solve them?
There are many other deeply rooted issues to resolve in America. The meritocracy this country claimed has not yet been fully achieved. Nor have we created a justice system that is fair to all, regardless of class or race.
Yet, the promise of America and what it could be remains.
A dream worth dreaming
Call us naive, but I think many of us strongly believed in the American Dream. For some, it motivated them to keep pushing each day to create a better life for themselves. For others, it fueled the passion to make the world better for future generations, in a world they may not ever live to see.
I come from a long line of hardworking Americans. I can trace my family back through multiple generations born in the United States. My family is made up of military and navy veterans, postal carriers, business owners, city employees, community advocates, nurses, factory workers, educators and so on. We come in multiple ethnicities and all shades, from the palest alabaster to the deepest dark chocolate. We are America.
As I write this column, I’m returning from a trip to New York where I walked the Brooklyn Bridge in the rain with all kinds of people — different ages, languages, ethnic backgrounds — all in one place, soaking up this piece of America.
I had a layover in Chicago, home to two baseball teams (once widely known as America’s favorite pastime), and the newly open Obama Presidential Center. This center celebrates two people whose lives are testaments to what America can be, a place where two people reached heights that no one imagined. They were not born into wealth or privilege, but their vision and effort led them to the highest office in the land.
I also stopped in the Nashville airport, where a country singer performed live inside a restaurant, across from one of my favorite soul food restaurants, which was next to an Italian eatery, beside a family-owned bakery.
In a short trip, going from one city to the next, I saw a cross-section of America and its people. It reminded me that the best part of this 250-year American experiment is us, here, together.
We don’t always have to agree with one another on every policy or lifestyle choice, but we can agree on the freedom to make those choices. And we can agree that the American Dream is still worth making a reality.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at 317-762-7850.
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
