When I was in my late teens or very early twenties, my mom gave me my hospital birth certificate, the State papers, as well as the revised, post adoption documents. I know not how, or when, I only know that I proceeded to lose every record.
Thankfully, I had studied the three before these disappeared. I know the name of the hospital I was born in, the city, the county, and the State. I am well aware of the time of birth. My Mom always told the story I love. I know the tale of how and where I was conceived. Still, for all these years, I have been unable to secure copies of my original birth files.
The hospital changed hands. The State of Pennsylvania, a score ago, sent me the altered copy of my short version birth certificate. On it, my adopted Dad and Mom are listed as my parents. Funny or not, today, I know not where that document is either. [I have moved too often and from State to State.] Were I asked to produce a long form file, or required to furnish more forms that speak to the specifics, I could not.
Perhaps, having been asked for my papers on many occasions in my five decades on this planet, in this country, shades my reality. In truth, that is why Mommy bestowed the certificates. Schools, professional pursuits, medical circumstances, and much more in an American life, at times, necessitates that I produce documentation.
Aware of the current political environment, and where I now live, my apprehension increases. While I believe I am still able to retrieve a copy of the altered post-adoption short-form certificate, were there a need for me to actually present verification of my birth, complete with the names of my natural parents, the hospital and time at which I was born, I cannot do so.
No Rachel, I am not Black, Brown or any color other than the Caucasian pink. I am not elderly. I am not an immigrant. I was born in a hospital, one that still stands. I also was born in a very large city! Produce my official papers? Currently, I cannot!
I strongly suspect I am not alone. Might a Tea Party person share my truth? I often wonder. Could a Conservative too be without the documents he or she is certain someone has? Independents too, in America, do not live on an island. Any of these might experience as this Democrat does. I am without documents
I thank you Rachel for reading my story. I hope my veracity will serve to expand the story. The disenfranchised could be you, and very easily me!
So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote I do not possess myself. I cannot make up my mind--it is made up for me. I cannot live as a democratic citizen... ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior
"Only you can choose whether the Earthly weight, the gravity of circumstances holds you down. You have the power to decide if you are one with the whole of the elements. Wind, air, fire, and water are yours for the taking . . .
Fly freely. Breathe deeply. Ignite or inspire with intensity. Drink the joy of living with gusto. Learn. Grow. Glow Greater!"
. . . Betsy L. Angert
Reference for Voters Rights . . .
- Defending Democracy: Confronting Modern Barriers to Voting Rights in America NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund 2011
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