Happy 4th of July!

🇺🇸 This 4th of July in particular, I would like to thank those who, facing possible retribution and increasing threats, still courageously voice, honor, and serve our country's promise and its values. I also want to acknowledge and be mindful of how difficult today's celebration can be for so many of us, as we recall our country's deeply cherished freedoms and historically proud constitutional framework while being confronted with the threat of their erosion.

🇺🇸 The American constitutional creed of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"—enshrined in the Declaration of Independence that we celebrate today—can only be fulfilled when every person is recognized as inherently valuable and deserving of dignity and opportunity.

This recognition demands that we never treat individuals:

🚨 As commodities within our economic models and practices

🚨 As "others" who are deemed less deserving of dignity and constitutional protection

🚨 As subjects under servitude

This vision of democracy is, at its core, defined and informed by a deep sense of empathy, which I consider to be our greatest strength and the ultimate measure of a mature, equitable, and sustainable society.