Voices of Patriotism: Charlotte Latham

Charlotte Latham is originally from Jamaica and moved to the United States in 1986. 

Interviewed by Jay Heater

"If I had to go by the definition of patriot, I wouldn't make it. That's when I put it into the strictest sense. But do I support the country? Without a doubt. When you look up patriot, you see, 'Someone who defends.' ''

"Do you respect leadership? Do you vote? I do. I am a relatively new person to America. My family is from Jamaica. I received my citizenship from my mother (Jean Malabre) who was a U.S. citizen. But I grew up in Jamaica and it had a lot of political issues in the 1970s."

"I certainly think there are a lot of people who might take the country for granted. Sometimes you have to leave a country to become a patriot. When I lived in Jamaica, I so much wanted to live in America. What you have in a country is more evident when you leave it. People do take for granted what they have."

"In elementary school, we don't have a lot of civic studies. We do stress good character. The emphasis really is on math and science. I do believe it would be wonderful to have programs that show our famous landmarks."

"Many people confuse politics with patriotism. Some people feel if others don't agree with the political leadership, they are not being supportive. I think patriotism is the ideals of the country as laid out in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We can change leadership every four years and no (President) gets more than eight years.''