From President to President they’ve all said they can make Americas better. Every day in the news there is something on about hate, killing, or something offensive happening. It seems that every time we discuss our country and how divided we are nobody ever comes up with a suggestion to make it better.

I may be a 21-year-old, white, female, and a millennial; with that comes many stereotypes. Every person walking around in this country comes with a stereotype. While sometimes we may fit them, for the most part, we need to break them.

Breaking those means embracing what and who we are. Most importantly we need to embrace that we are American. We are all here in this country sharing it and seeing all the bad that happens. We need to stop focusing on the bad and focus more on the good that surrounds us.

This country has many freedoms that others do not have. While those freedoms sometimes become misconstrued we still have them. The freedoms we have should be embraced. However, those freedoms also need to be seen as privileges and privileges can be taken away.

When so many different people; people of all shapes, sizes, and races come together there is going to be differences. There are going to be conflicts. There are conflicts in a house of four people. This country we live in is our home and the people we share it with are all different. The hate that is constantly around this country should not be.

Making America better consists of the people in it. We citizens of America have to make it better. We have to want to be one and not divided. Being divided is what our founding fathers, MLK Jr., and even leaders today are still fighting for.

We need to fight for unity as well. Unity comes when we realize we are all different, yet accept those differences. I am not saying we all have to hold hands and sing Kumbaya around a campfire, but it would be nice if we weren’t constantly at each other’s throats. Be proud to be an American.

Be proud that we are so diverse.

Be proud we have freedoms that others do not.

Be proud that you could make a difference in bringing this country closer together.

I know I’m proud of the country I live in. However, with the hate and killing going on I also want to be that light that someone helps change the way we all live. Try to be nicer to that stranger in class and show them that this country always has been and always will be great.