The Knicks won and I was far away from all the excitement going on in my city. I felt homesick during the entire NBA post season and it made me feel things I had never felt for New York. After moving to Colombia in 2018, I had to come to terms with my Americanness. It hasn’t always been easy. Typically, the demonym American is associated with skin color and privilege. I’ve learned that is not the case.
As much pushback as we may face from those in power, and as much as some may try to strip us of our identities and our rights, American culture, at its core, has always been inclusive. It has always made space for people who, for one reason or another, have felt like outsiders within their own.
