By STEVEN JUPITER
Even in a small town like Brandon it’s easy to retreat into a bubble of likeminded friends and family and ignore the segments of the community that don’t mesh with our own personal politics and preferences. And so it was heartening to see the entire community on display during the Brandon Independence Day Parade and its related events on Saturday.
Nearly every diverse aspect of our community was represented in some form on a day that celebrates the one thing that binds us all together: our Americanness. We saw cultural organizations like the Library and the Museum. We saw our first responders. We saw the American Legion and the Boy Scouts. We saw Democrats, Republicans, Progressives, and Libertarians. We saw drag queens, beauty queens, and Civil War reenactors. We saw climate activists on pedaled vehicles and farmers on gas-powered tractors. We saw bagpipes and baseball teams. And our Grand Marshals, tasked with leading this most American of endeavors, were two longtime, committed Brandon residents who were not born in this country but instead chose it for themselves and their children many years ago.
All along Park and Center Streets, those who weren’t in the parade gathered to watch it, waving flags and cheering on the various contingents as they passed. I didn’t march in this year’s parade—I was busy covering it—but last year I marched with the Brandon Museum and can say firsthand what a wonderful feeling it was to be applauded by people who’d probably never even visited our building. And the fact that they hadn’t visited didn’t matter a bit. There was a sense of camaraderie, of we’re-in-it-togetherness, that transcended our personal predilections. And it was a moment to take pride in all that Brandon and our neighboring towns have to offer.
It can often be depressing to watch the news these days, with a constant drumbeat of division pounding in our ears. We’re constantly being told to focus on our differences rather than on our commonalities. That’s no way for a society to survive and certainly no way for a community as small as ours to function. If we can’t see each other as neighbors even when we disagree, how can we expect to keep this enterprise going? The parade wasn’t simply an exercise in patriotism, as important as that is; it was also a reminder of who we are and what we mean to one another. It was a reminder that despite all our current challenges, we’ve built something special and precious here and we all have a stake in it.
