Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

"I don't feel particularly patriotic," someone dear to me said, in light of recent events.

But we’re getting out and celebrating the birth of our nation.

And I made sure to wear my American flag shirt.

There are those who would like to take Old Glory the way of the Confederate flag—which, to me, means “whites only” and the subjugation of all others—but I won’t let them.

It’s foolish to withdraw, especially now.

When we step away, it leaves a vacuum they fill with meaning that is antithetical to the very spirit of our country.

Our nation is “for the people, by the people”—not “for some people, by some people.”

They, who brandish outsized flags with small-minded vitriol, are squatters. And the way not to lose your home to them is not to leave it.

Now is the time to lean in—and to fight the way true patriots do:

Through intelligent discourse.

By casting a vision for a country that works well for all citizens—even those with whom we disagree.

By creating conditions that deliver on the promise of our founding: to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

By organizing around that vision.

Through voting for which vision we deem best.

And through honoring the rule of law.

As we were walking yesterday, a white child looked at me and said, “Happy 4th!”

I exuberantly replied, “And Happy 4th to you, young man.”

Because I want him to associate me—my pride and my kindness—with that flag.

Get it in your heart: I am with you, I am your fellow American, and this is mine too.

I love you.

#happy4thofjuly #patriotism #oldglory #AmericaIsMineToo