Jason,
With the Fourth of July tomorrow, I thought I'd share what the day means to me.
America was founded on the idea of freedom. Have we lived up to that promise?
No – from the start, we've battled with inequality, racism, and exclusionary policies that secured freedom for some while leaving others out of the equation entirely.
But just like today, some of those who came before us did not accept that our country could never reach its professed ideals. We've made progress in many areas, including expanding voting and civil rights, guaranteeing reproductive freedom and the right to privacy, securing marriage equality and other protections for the LGBTQ+ community, and more.
That's why all of us are in this fight: We've seen progress in action throughout our history. We know it's not impossible to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once described. We can fight for – and win – a better future for everyone.
Today, Donald Trump and his MAGA cult are hellbent on rolling back Americans' freedoms, not expanding them.
The far-right Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, and multiple red states have since banned and criminalized abortion.
Conservatives are pushing proposals that restrict freedom and equality for the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans folks.
Republicans in states like Texas and Florida are attacking the right to public education, while others are inserting their Christian religion into the curriculum.
And on top of everything, the GOP's fearless leader, through his words and actions, has accelerated our democracy's decline.
Republicans love to carry the mantle of patriotism, but for a group that claims to love America so much, they seem to have very little interest in freedom for all. In my mind, that's what the Fourth of July – and the whole idea of America – is all about.
Freedom is foundational. I believe that our generation can continue the fight for this basic tenet of the "American Dream," but first we have to defeat the party who is so clearly invested in erasing freedom for large swaths of America.
Jason, Happy Independence Day from me and all of us at Leaders We Deserve!
Thank you,
David Hogg
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