// Fourth of July//

Today I remember that night I was both invited and welcomed by a community I thought I was an outsider to, a circle of descendants of indigenous peoples. As we passed the sage around, to be enveloped together and alongside each other by its smoke as we took turns sharing our hopes of peace, I felt the deep embrace of solidarity and of truths and struggles I shared with them that I would be at fault to deny. Today I cannot help but wonder if they, we, have already attained this “independence” - an underlying promise of complete freedom and justice - worthy of celebration we’ve been told to acknowledge.

Happy fourth day of July. May we continue to seek to redefine “independence” and remember.