I took my family to Fort Snelling for July 4th this year and it was an amazing experience! I must applaud the interpretive staff for making it an enjoyable and informative time. We watched dress parades, a mock battle, musket and cannon firing, and listened to the reading of The Declaration of Independence. On our drive over in the morning, we navigated six inch deep puddles in flooded roads as the sky opened up and rain poured down along with lightning and thunder!. When we arrived at the fort, there was a line waiting to check-in despite the weather. It seems that even a monsoon doesn't stop this show! By the time we walked down to the old fort, the sky was beginning to clear and we settled in for a great time. Later, I toured the gallery exhibit, Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of the Japanese American World War II Experience. The entire thing left me feeling humbled. I thought too, of my mother's German-American family, who left their native language and German culture behind during WW2, lest they suffer the same fate described by the Japanese Americans in the exhibit. Today, this sentiment of distrust is sometimes transferred to Muslim-Americans. It is a reminder that while we seek security, we must not spread hatred. We are, after all, a diverse nation.
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