I don’t know Methodist pastor Rev. Lorenza Andrade-Smith personally, though she is a facebook “friend,” but I have a feeling she would be embarrassed to hear that a blog post was written about her. Since it’s the Fourth of July and others are probably writing about American exceptionalism, I thought I would write about an exceptional American instead. The concept of American exceptionalism bothers me when it’s a manipulative tool that politicians use to one-up each other or stifle legitimate criticism of imperialist foreign policy. But I feel quite comfortable talking about the people who make American exceptional by dedicating their lives to creating a society that fulfills Thomas Jefferson’s assertion “that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and happiness.” Pastor Lorenza is one such person; she really does make me proud to be an American. Continue reading
