This Sunday marks the halfway point in the year 2017. It is also, of course, the day on which the Second Continental Congress approved the resolution by Richard Henry Lee that the colonies break away from England and become free and independent states.
John Adams thought July 2 would be the day on which we would celebrate our independence, but for some reason we chose to celebrate the 4th, the day on which the wording of the Declaration of Independence was approved and the document signed by the president of that congress, John Hancock.
Still, the 2nd is a day for reaffirming our belief in ideals and what we stand for; for example, that all men are created equal. That’s why it was chosen as the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a piece of legislation that in essence said the 14th Amendment applied not just to states but to private businesses.
I do not believe the act would pass in today’s Congress, nor would it survive challenges in the current Supreme Court. Had John Kennedy not been assassinated, giving his arm-twisting successor Lyndon Johnson an opportunity to push it through in his name, it probably wouldn’t have passed in 1964.
But today we take it for granted a public accommodation, such as a restaurant or a store, is just that, open to the public no matter what their race or religion. Next year we will find out whether that principle will survive. Will the Supreme Court rule a wedding cake store has to make a cake for a gay wedding, or is personal religion now a new refuge of bigotry?
In Naperville, we’re still a little shy about our belief in ideals. For example, according to the instructions under which our police operate, we are apparently a sanctuary city. That means a person who has not committed a crime will not be arrested for something like overstaying a visa.
But our city council apparently cannot bring itself to declare that fact publicly, or even to declare Naperville a “welcoming city,” whatever that means. Are we afraid we will scare away xenophobes and nativists? Remind me again why we want them?
The current anti-immigrant crackdown is causing millions of dollars of produce to rot in California fields and restaurants to close for lack of kitchen staff. Our citizens are apparently unwilling, and are often physically unable, to pick fruit for $10 to $14 an hour or do the hard work of a commercial kitchen. Yet we refuse to issue work permits to the people who can. Go figure.
It occurs to me that declaring Naperville to be a welcoming city would send a valuable message to our own citizens. Immigrants from China, India,and Japan get along well here, but black and Hispanic families still tell me they’re often treated poorly. I think Naperville is better than that.
Principles are important. When the city council adopted the Millennium Carillon — foolishly in my opinion — they accepted the responsibility for maintaining the bells that had been so generously donated to the carillon foundation. Sometimes living up to your obligations can be costly, but you still have to.
And when the city council signed a covenant to preserve the appearance of the old Nichols Library, which is in much better shape than I thought last week, they didn’t include a provision that would allow someone to weasel out and tear the place down. A covenant, like your word, should mean something.
Perhaps principles and ideals are not a primary concern in the United States right now, but this week, in our town, they can be and should be. This is the week to celebrate the America we can be, the America we sing about, crowned by brotherhood, peace and justice.
Happy Fourth of July.
