An American flag waves in the breeze along S. Maryland Parkway during a windy day across Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.
Monday, July 3, 2017 | 2 a.m.
In 2014, two journalists drove through the country’s heart for The New York Times, asking what it meant to be American. People talked of opportunity and its conditions, solidarity and allowance for separateness, hard work, hunger’s end, endless struggle and a culture like a bouquet of flowers with room for all to be kissed by the sun. Makes you wonder what the same people might say today.
The United States is divided. That division goes back to partisan politics blooming not long after its founding, but there’s no question emotions are heightened around how people define America and its role in the world. There are more than 300 million citizens, richly diverse in their customs and creeds. So in the weeks leading up to the nation’s 241st birthday, we hit the streets across Southern Nevada and asked a handful of them what being American means, and what it should mean.
We'd like to continue the conversation with a lot more perspectives, so let us know what you think.
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Amelia Kennemer and 3-year-old Ellie Rose
Amelia Kennemer
27, freelance painter, lives in Pahrump
In some countries you can’t really advocate for what you feel strongly about, so I advocate for human rights, women’s rights, the LGBTQ community. I can stand up for myself as a woman, which is really important.
I’m very proud to be an American, but the United States has the obligation to set the standard. I feel like we are who other countries look up to, and we need to be careful how we portray ourselves. I think that everyone can get along better.
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Harry Lee Batiste
Harry Lee Batiste
60, retired, lives in Las Vegas
Americans should stand up for what America’s values are, and one of those American values is my constitutional rights to represent myself and to be treated fairly. Being a black American, it’s not the same treatment.
(My father fought in the Vietnam War’s Battle of Hamburger Hill.) He told me, “I’m a coward. I lay down and played dead. My friends came back heroes, but they were dead. So, which one would you rather be, son?” I want to be alive. Still have to stand up and fight.
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Vanessa VanAlstyne
Vanessa VanAlstyne
36, web marketer, lives in Las Vegas
It means everyone has the option to be American. You don’t have to be a certain thing; it doesn’t matter what religion you practice. It’s the different cultures that influence the landscapes of this country: You’ve got a lot of Asian influence in the West, Latino and Mexican influence in the Southwest, in New York City you have everyone.
Being American also means having that explorer spirit. We came from people brave enough to come across the ocean or halfway around the world to start a new life. It’s feeling like you can freely express yourself.
We could be more compassionate to each other. People need to quit trying to form a theocracy. And internet trolls — that’s what’s wrong with America and the world.
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Antonio Bosco
Antonio Bosco
47, handyman business owner, lives in Boulder City
The right to bear arms, the right to vote and anything in the Bill of Rights. It doesn’t matter if you’re poor; you can make something out of yourself. It’s the eye of the tiger.
My parents came from Germany and Italy after World War II, and they met in a cab. They both fled because of the state of those countries. My grandparents were forced to join the Nazi party, or else they’d die. And here, my parents weren’t forced to do anything like that.
America has been good to me. It gave me the freedom to prosper, although I could’ve done better with some of the opportunities that came my way.
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LeBryant Scott
LeBryant Scott
44, real estate entrepreneur, lives in Baltimore
It’s the act of exercising — of creating — your influence, and it’s being in a position to receive great inspiration. It’s having my freedom of chosen belief. It’s being able to transition to different states within our own country and being able to travel to different countries without restriction. (But) I live here because my ancestors were brought here.
My biggest problem, anywhere, is debt. It starts the struggle. If we didn’t have so much debt, people wouldn’t come from a place of "I don’t have."
This is where I had hope with Trump. I have hope with every president, even if I didn’t vote for him.
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Valerie McNay
Valerie McNay
66, teacher, lives in Boulder City
I struggle with what it means in these difficult times, with all the hate and violence.
It’s a safe place to believe in civil and human rights. It means every child has access to a free and appropriate education, and not using public money to fund private schools. A functioning democracy needs an educated populace.
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Anthony Nguyen
Anthony Nguyen
21, grocery store shipping and receiving clerk, lives in Las Vegas
To be an American is to live with good instincts and intentions. It’s to live celebrating the pros and learning from the cons. To give back to the community and not to expect anything back.
Thinking like this came from my family; we’re supportive of each other. We started to eat healthy together too, because you are what you eat. Obesity, that’s also what other people in different countries see as American.
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Sharon Mayfield
Sharon Mayfield
65, gun store clerk, lives in Pahrump
I love my country. I would not ever leave it. I would like to see some things change, and they are, so it’s a great place to be from.
We’re sending too much money out of this country to people who do not need it and do not deserve it. I’m really upset that Mr. Obama decided to apologize for our actions (in certain foreign affairs). I think that was the wrong thing to do, so I am really happy with Mr. Trump.
I would like to see us get back to being a very strong nation, a nation that stands for what we actually believe in. When a person works full-time and overtime and doesn’t get as much as someone on welfare, I think that’s wrong. Financing refugees is wrong. They can come to this country, they can work, they can learn our language.
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Elizabeth Nelson
Elizabeth Nelson
36, performer, lives in Las Vegas
To really fight and engage in the democratic process, to not just settle and say, “Well, I guess that’s it.”
As a woman and a Latina, I feel a lot of my rights to make decisions about my own body are being removed. (Regarding efforts to limit immigration), I think it’s so dangerous, and we have to resist. We’ve seen it time and time again, over history, one group saying, “Oh, that’s the bad group.” It’s being able to say, “That’s not true, and that’s not who we are as Americans.”
America has represented opportunity for a better life, allowed for social strata, for movements for education. My grandpa didn’t go to college, didn’t even finish fifth grade. He worked in the fields. I was the first in my family to graduate college.
I’m so proud to be an American, and that’s why I continue to write letters and call my senators, because I’m proud of what we stand for. Freedom isn’t a tagline for me. It’s a thing that we have to fight for.
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Terry Wilsey
Terry Wilsey
73, travel specialist, lives in Las Vegas
It’s responsibility. To make sure the country is here and better than it was when I was born, in 1944.
I grew up in the Ayn Rand “Fountainhead” era, when images of smokestacks were a sign of progress and industry. Now I advocate for green energy, health and fitness. I became aware of problems with American industries, of what oligarchs in health care and energy have done to the country. It should stand for freedom, leadership, education, intelligence, invention and ingenuity. Pardon my language: Get off your ass and go to work and clean up the country. Educate your kids.
There’s enough of us that are still doing the right things the right way to make up for President Tweety Bird and the rest of the Trumpians.
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Daxton Mills
Daxton Mills
17, fireworks store clerk, lives in Pahrump
It’s such a unique place. Nobody in America is alike.
It’s still one of the biggest contributors in world powers, and yeah, a lot of people are disregarding Trump and saying he’s not doing his job right. But this is a man who was a multimillionaire, who owned companies, not a man who was really into government policies and issues. Taking it on for the first time, I believe he’s doing quite well.
The true, most American thing is a group of people standing up to government for what they believe, fighting for freedom and rights.
Being American is whatever your heart is, whatever your heart desires. Vegas is a perfect example, the most rebellious place, Sin City. A name like that makes me think, wow, that’s America, that’s badass. People go there to party and to escape. That’s how America started.
To be an American for me is hanging out with my friends, having a good time and riding my dirt bike and living life to the fullest. I’m proud to be an American. You can’t take that from me. That’s always going to be a part of me. It’s where I was born and where I’ll die. I never plan on leaving this country to go anywhere else. This is my home. I love America.
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Miguel Ramos
Miguel Ramos
14, student, lives in Las Vegas
To have more freedom than most other people in other countries, and to be proud of what our country has done over the past years.
America is strong, proud, free. The things that we say, we should actually do them — put words into actions.
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Drew Cohen
Drew Cohen
29, bookstore owner, lives in Las Vegas
Part of being an American is liking the thing you like without fear of reprisal or censure. We talk about civil or civic freedom, which is of huge importance, but it’s also the freedom to just consume the culture you want to consume, whether it’s anime, manga, cosplay and video games or whether it’s symphony orchestras and jazz at the Smith Center. I’ve been going to the movies almost every weekend this summer; to me it’s like going to church. It clears my mind, and it’s oddly communal.
Guilt is the shadow side of the coin that I’m describing — recognizing that you have the leisure to go to the movies on Sunday and go home from work and read a novel until you fall asleep. All of this is built upon a system of exploitation and privilege we can only begin to imagine. I think in the current political climate, there’s a lot of anxiety about the things we take for granted, and the price that other people pay so that we can enjoy these things.
There is no one thing that is American. It’s a blank slate, and you can make of it what you will. The minute you try to insist there is one way of being American, that’s where you run into problems.
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Ray Turner
Ray Turner
48, tile specialist, lives in Boulder City
I have a license to explore because there are less restrictions traveling from state to state here than in Europe.
I got my citizenship to secure my standing in America, and I definitely consider Mexican immigrants my brothers. I was with them for a while trying to get a green card, trying to become legal. I was undocumented when I first came too.
I love Ireland and America equally. I belong to both.
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Bertha Eames
Bertha Eames
64, retired, lives in Houston
To be American is a privilege — to live here with benefits and opportunities to serve God the way you want to serve God, to travel from state to state freely and to work whatever job you want to work. I think we should represent as God's people. You know on the money it says, “In God We Trust,” and if we really trust in God we should stand and let the world know we stand for God and not materialism.
We need to stand up for our forefathers. We have to go back to the principles and foundations and really mean it. I want to be remembered as a person who showed love and kindness and reached out to give somebody a cold glass of water.
I’m very proud to be an American citizen. I thank God for my president, President Trump. I did not vote for him, but I pray for him and I thank god for him and pray that God will give him direction and lead him, because it is God who builds us and God who takes us down. People should pray for our leaders, not only him — the good, the bad and the ugly. Everything we do we should put God in there, and it will come out beautifully.
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Thomas Mcleod
Thomas Mcleod
41, barista, lives in Las Vegas
Being an American means being proud of our cultural diversity, though in this day and age that depends on your political beliefs.
I feel conflicted, especially with the 2016 election — so many people felt like their voices weren’t heard, that it was an illusion. The Electoral College chooses the president, not the people.
I enjoy being able to have the freedom, like the freedom of speech. We have the ability to make a choice, or start a discussion and change. I think we need a change. If you look at the Egyptian pharaohs who were women, when Egypt was a matriarchy, they flourished compared to when men ruled, and I think it’s time we try that out.
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James Collins
James Collins
24, bookseller; educator, lives in Las Vegas
Being an American means being progressive and innovative. As a country we are constantly forward-looking, and as individuals, what makes Americans unique is they are always looking for the next step in their lives, the next chapter, and can change their path and choose their own destiny. That’s a cool freedom we have to constantly innovate ourselves, our technology, our political system.
Because we are a self-centered culture, we are a little insensitive. There’s not enough empathy. We look up to success so much that we don’t support each other through failure as much as we should. I think that extends globally. We aren’t as aware of other cultures as much as other countries are aware of us. I think we’ve got to step up in general, not necessarily politically, but any way we are able to improve ourselves as individuals will improve the nation, will improve our community. Any amount of prejudice we’re able to set aside, even a little bit, will help this country.
My mom is from China, and my dad’s just American. It’s weird being caught between the worlds, being able to witness things that are prejudice that my dad doesn’t understand. I see all these little contradictions, but they’re not these big, bold racist contradictions; they’re just small nuances and differences in thought. I’m also fearful of everyone thinking the same. Different ethnic groups, as long as there is compassion and equal opportunity between them, all have unique perspectives and cultural resources that they can give to American society, and that’s what makes American society so incredible.
I’m really proud to be an American. We’ve done a lot of horrible things as a country, and I think those collective failures we need to talk about too, but I’m proud.
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Diana Lewter (right) and her mother
Diana Lewter
61, manufacturing quality controller, lives in Boulder City
Freedom. The ability to travel unchallenged across 50 state lines.
It’s also the right to live your faith. Part of being American is that perseverance and pioneer spirit.
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André Moss
André Moss
28, driver; musician, lives in Cleveland
It means I can go to work where I want to work; I can do the things that I want to do. But it also means I’m subjected to the rules of the government. It also means I’m subjected to everything the media puts out, and not having access to what goes on behind the screen.
To define what it means to be an American is difficult because I’ve only ever been inside the box or bubble — I’ve never traveled outside of the country.
I would like it if people could be happy without being judgmental.
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Brenda Brown
Brenda Brown
58, occupation unknown, lives in Las Vegas
It means everything to me, the home of the free. America is free. It should represent world peace, love and equality for all. Not just one. To my president, Mr. Donald Trump, I give you all the respect, but do the right thing.
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Sherry Xu
Sherry Xu
19, apprenticeship seeker, lives in Las Vegas
It means being able to do anything you want as long as it isn’t bad.
In my (native China), if you’re 16, 17, 18 you can’t find a job to get money. But here I can get one, so I can buy things, like presents for my parents. Every Mother’s Day, I get my mom a gift like flowers, or take my parents out to eat their favorite food.
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David Barrera
David Barrera
62, retired, lives in San Antonio
It’s a great world to be in the United States. You’re free; you’re not a commoner.
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Wendell Cox
Wendell Cox
68, apostolic bishop, lives in Las Vegas
Being American is trying to solve the world’s problems. America was given by God the charge to be a peacemaker and help. There’s enough in this world for everybody, but some folks are selfish, greedy, prejudiced and want it all by themselves.
I would like to see America being looked upon as the leader in the free world and set an example of helping, forgiving. Send missionaries. Help governments. Make sure people aren’t starving to death. Not to rule them, but to assist them.
I was born in America, and I’m ashamed about some things in the historical fact of America, like slavery. America has a long way to go.
I believe that through persuasion and love, like Dr. King said, we can help people — let live to be able to live, or die together as fools.
