The story of America is about the countless men and women who give up—or have given up— their own comfort, the company of their loved ones, and sometimes their lives in service to our nation.
From the Revolutionary War to the worldwide fight against terrorism, in times of both war and peace, military personnel endure hardship so Americans at home can enjoy peace and freedom. Yet, because these men and women often serve in anonymity, their stories of sacrifice and dedication to duty can be lost forever. By creating and sharing a permanent record of their service, current and future generations gain insights and inspiration on how military personnel serve and protect our nation.
How does this tie into Americans All?
Today, Americans All remains true to its mission to honor the contributions that all immigrants, both forced and voluntary, have made —and continue to make—to the United States. We aim to reinforce our nation’s values of diversity, tolerance and acceptance through legacy storytelling (individual and groups) and historical information presented in timeline format. A second goal is to help students succeed in our democracy, economy and workforce by providing them and their schools with access to supplemental, inclusive social studies resources now being used in more than 2,000 schools and libraries. Lastly, we give small businesses—many of which are minority-owned or employ people of color—new marketing tools to better reach their clients and customers. Our storytelling tool is not new, but it has never been used to share the experiences and contributions of everyday people or to unite a nation! Importantly, we want to compile the nation’s largest database of stories on all people, not just those who are “famous.”
We recognize that differences make us human, but respect for one another—a key to getting past stereotypes or politics—is the glue that makes communities work. Individuals, families, schools and nonprofits participate in Americans All for free. Members gain access to our instructional materials—currently being used in more than 2,000 schools and libraries nationwide—to improve their knowledge and appreciation of U.S. history.
Our nation has become so polarized that a major reset is required to get us back on track. Before we can move forward, however, we must understand our history and highlight the values that unite rather than divide the American people. Our program’s focus and website have been expanded from ethnic content to document and support major Civil Rights and Women’s Suffrage issues as well as the Black Lives Matter movement. Our engagement aims to help people--who care--recognize that unconscious bias is the very human tendency to make quick—and sometimes lasting—harmful judgments about people without having a factual basis to do so.
To start a serious conversation about systemic racism, we must first identify its driving forces. We must also expose the continuation of cornerstone beliefs and related symbols that are still negatively affecting societal behaviors. Once caring people see that their unconscious biases may unintentionally lead to discrimination and may harm their self-interest, the road to change becomes possible. We can then override the polarization and work on creating a more perfect union.
Our website documents the driving forces of systemic racism, especially following the Civil War, and other forms of social injustice (see, for example, the Civil War, Jim Crow Laws and Jim Crow Violence summary pages and a summary at http://www.americansall.org/node/566343). For more information on Americans All, see the Program Overview on our homepage.
Click Here to view "A Strategic Partnership Proposal Between the Armed Forces and Americans All."