Let’s Remember Who We Can Be

Today, we mark another Independence Day —

and I know for many of us, this feels conflicting

.

We’re watching freedoms chipped away.

We see families living in fear, rights threatened,

and our trust in each other frayed at the seams.

But under all that noise, I believe something softer is still here.

A memory, a hope —

a reminder of what this country can be when we choose to care for each other.

This place was always meant to be a melting pot —

a tapestry of languages, cultures, colors, faiths, and dreams,

woven together by our willingness to live side by side.

True freedom doesn’t come from tearing each other down.

It doesn’t come from walls, fear, or surveillance.

It comes from unity —

from people showing up for one another,

protecting each other,

and building something that ripples across generations.

I am with you — there is real anger and grief here too.

Our hearts are breaking for what we’ve lost,

raging at what’s been taken or threatened,

and exhausted from holding so much.

You have every right to feel it.

To make space for it in your body.

To cry it out, move it through, and let it show you what matters.

But don’t let it run you off the rails.

Don’t let it shut you down.

We can feel that anger and allow it to alchemize us.

We can honor the grief while working to rebuild what was taken.

It’s our job now to revive the village.

To restore what’s been lost.

To teach our children that real strength can be gentle.

That safety grows in communities where everyone is seen,

where difference is celebrated,

and where we don’t let power divide us for profit or control.

So today, celebrate the good —

but stay awake to the work.

Hold your loved ones close.

Check on your friends and family.

Show up for someone who’s being targeted, silenced, or forgotten — because every life matters.

Say what needs to be said — with kindness and courage.

Use your voice, your heart, and your presence.

We owe it to our kids to keep this country’s promise alive —

not just for some, but for all.

We owe them rivers they can swim in, communities they can trust,

neighbors who will reach out a hand when times get hard.

It won’t come from the top down.

It starts with us —

in the micro choices, the honest conversations, the ways we show up every day.

One beautiful melting pot.

One people.

One vision:

Freedom, peace, diversity, equity, inclusion, and care for all.

We create our own reality —and this is our chance to create something beautiful.

Let’s do it — for them.

For the ones who will come after us,

and the ones who are watching us now,

hoping we’ll show them how it’s done.

Stay safe. Stay kind. Stay connected.

And please check on those living with special needs, the veterans who have served our country, your elderly neighbors, and the hispanics of your community.

Remind them they are not alone.