Good Morning, afternoon, and evening to every American celebrating the 4th of July here and across the world. As we reflect upon what it means to truly be an American on this 4th of July, a yearly tradition in which the meaning of what it is to be an American is always in question and contention, with opinions of a wide variety ranging from celebration to shame of our shared heritage. As I reflect upon it now, on a sunny Boston day with a crystalline blue sky overlooking the harbor as the sun reflects upon the sea, the words don’t come so easily now. In what is a yearly tradition for me to write a message to commemorate the birth of our great nation in which I give familiar platitudes to heal divisions and come together. Yet, unlike before, as I think of a word or phrase that shoots to the tip of my tongue, it always falls short. In my heart and soul, when the thought of our great nation comes to mind, a surge of emotion wells inside me. Emotions are far too great and strong that far surpass the range of words in the English vocabulary to put them on paper. Words that appear and yet always fall so painfully short. On this day, unlike any other, these emotions well up inside my soul in an awesome wave stronger than any emotion found on this earth. This past year, as experiences molded and shaped me and I have gained a deeper understanding of myself and our American heritage, the words don’t come easy to write now. And now, as I write this message, I find myself in this conundrum. I look within myself and our shared history to find the words to create this message. On this 4th of July, 246 years after the initial dawn of freedom that cascaded upon the 13 original colonies in a magnitude far surpassing anything on this earth, a force otherworldly in nature sent from the heavens. On that 1st 4th of July, when freedom rang across America for the 1st time, people crowded the streets in celebration as they unlocked the chains that had long subjugated them from across the seas. Bells rang, people chanted and sang, and the answer to our question is found there. The answer to our question on what it truly means to be an American is found on that day in 1776. On that day when freedom was proclaimed in this great land, although the fight for freedom was just at a start, on that day, a cause worthy to fight and die for arose. A cause nobler than any, a cause that wasn’t just American but the cause for all humanity. A truth that is universal and inherent within the human soul. The cause to be free. To be free from tyranny, from the bandages of oppression and power, to be free to express. That is what it means to be an American. The answer for the future is found within our past. To be an American is to be free, and to be free is to be American.
We must never forget this universal truth; we must never forget this cause. And now, as we gather with family and friends around the kitchen table to celebrate this great day by cooking barbecue and lighting fireworks, we must never forget this cause and our universal truth. Inscribed on the liberty bell that rang in 1776 in Philadelphia, it is written, “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All The Land Onto All Inhabitants thereof.” On this 4th of July, we proclaim freedom in this land, and bow; I ask you to let freedom resonate within your hearts. Today, be proud to be an American and our freedom and liberty. Never forget the universal truth. I wish you and your families a happy 4th of July. God bless you all, and may God bless America.
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