Matthew HooverBelonging is not automatic. It is chosen. And it is proven through assimilation—the process by which individuals align themselves to the shared identity of the community. Every successful nation, every enduring brand, has required it
Matthew HooverBelonging has always meant more than residency. It means covenant. It means a shared agreement about who we are, what we believe, and how we will live together. Every thriving nation in history has demanded it.
Matthew HooverFor too long, the American story has been contested, fragmented, even forgotten. Ask ten citizens what it means to be American, and you’ll get ten different answers. That’s not identity—it’s drift. And drift is fatal to a brand and a nation.
Matthew HooverIn the 1800s, America’s unspoken fracture was slavery. Leaders tried to patch it over with compromises, but the foundation was rotten. Eventually, the country split apart and was forced into a reckoning.