“A great man once said that the true symbol of the United States is not the bald eagle, it is the pendulum. And when the pendulum swings too far in one direction, it will go back.” 

– Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

Throughout history, the United States has often been painted as a savior of human rights, a white knight upon the world stage. Until recently, it was an image coated in Teflon, as it survived the bloodshed of our black, brown, and native ancestors. As someone who was born after the Civil Rights Movement, it has been easy to believe in this myth, but the amnesia laced bedtime story is a poor cover for this deep and systemic stain. When I saw the Statue of Liberty as an impressionable first grader, the figure that was already larger than life, approached God-like proportions. Her stoic and unwavering poise seemed to suggest that the ground itself would…