Pair-Bonded Bifurcation is the Differentiator
Call 888-818-2531 for a planksip House Call (Storm Trooper Optional)
Sophia: Toni, your words reveal a deep fracture in the self-perception of a nation—a sense that to be truly "American" is to inherit an unstated, singular identity. What is the wisdom in articulating this truth so plainly?
Toni: It’s about facing the mirror, Sophia. Until the primary color of the national portrait is acknowledged—the one that doesn't need an adjective—everyone else is left in the margin, constantly asked to explain their presence, their loyalty, their belonging. The hyphen is an elegant piece of punctuation, but when it's forced, it becomes a permanent line of separation, marking one as conditional, as "American-and-then-something-else." The wisdom, I think, is in refusing to let that conditionality stand as a natural law. We must demand an umbrella that covers all the different shades without expecting them to fade to white.
In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.
— Toni Morrison (1931-2019)
Sophia: So the challenge is to expand the definition, to make the whole so spacious that the hyphen becomes a choice of connection rather than a mark of exclusion. If the goal is a truly universal belonging, where do we start to dissolve that primary-color assumption?
Toni: We start by telling the stories that shatter the singular narrative. When the history books are revised to show the nation built not just by one group, but by the relentless, creative, and often brutalized labor of all its peoples—when that diversity is the celebrated foundation, not a footnote—then the assumption dissolves. The word "American" must finally be big enough to mean "human being living here," full stop. When we achieve that, the need for the hyphen as a defensive shield will disappear.
Sophia: To claim the unadorned word, then, is an act of profound self-respect and a necessary step toward an honest collective consciousness.
Sophia smiled, a quiet knowing in her eyes, appreciating the elegant sharpness of Toni’s vision.
Sophia: Your wisdom, Toni, is a powerful invitation to both the privileged and the marginalized to stop defining the nation in half-measures. What remains is the long, hard work of living into the full, unhyphenated meaning of "we."
What do you believe is the greatest obstacle to a nation accepting its identity as a truly "unhyphenated" mosaic?
The planksip Writers' Cooperative is proud to sponsor an exciting article rewriting competition where you can win over $750,000 in prize money.
Figures of Speech Collection Personified
Our editorial instructions for your contest submission are simple: incorporate the quotes and imagery from the above article into your submission.
What emerges is entirely up to you!
Winners receive $500 per winning entry multiplied by the article's featured quotes. Our largest prize is $8,000 for rewriting the following article;
Heraclitus
At planksip, we believe in changing the way people engage; at least, that's the Idea (ἰδέα). By becoming a member of our thought-provoking community, you'll have the chance to win incredible prizes and access our extensive network of media outlets that will amplify your voice as a thought leader. Your membership truly matters!