4th of July Remarks at the Lithia Park Bandshell

I have been asked to share my remarks from our Indpendence Day celebration in Lithia Park. Below are the remarks after I offered the Land Acknowledgement and thanked the Ashland City Band and the Ashland Chamber of Commerce.

Happy Independence Day Ashland.

I love the 4th of July – not because of the parade, although it is fabulous. Not because of fireworks where they can still happen safely, although they are spectacular. And not because of barbecues – although who doesn’t love a good barbecue?

I love the 4th of July because it is our Independence Day. It is the day we, as a nation, declared to the world that we would no longer be ruled by a King, but instead would govern ourselves. I love the 4th of July because it represents the moment when everyday people like you and me began to captain our own destiny as a nation.

Typically this 4th of July address is a straight up celebration of all we have accomplished in this grand experiment in governing ourselves – and a look forward to the progress we will continue to make in fulfilling the promise of our nation.

But this is no typical 4th of July, so we are going to have a different conversation today, one that starts in 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence when courageous men and women decided that they had had enough and set out to create a nation of free people. It was a radical idea at the time, and it still is.

Once they won the war, our revolutionaries faced the daunting task of drafting a Constitution to build the democratic systems that would allow us to govern ourselves well.

The authors of our Constitution knew that the threat from the outside was matched by the threat from the inside and that we will always have to guard against those who aim to consolidate power and use it against the American people. So, they gave us tools to protect our democracy - separation of powers between the three branches of government — and a system of checks and balances to keep them in their lanes.

And they counted on those in positions of power across the government to put country above political affiliation. That obligation to put country above politics is why elected leaders at all levels take the oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.

This grand experiment in self-governance is bigger than any one of us and our collective oath to defend the Constitution, rather than bow to a King, reminds us of that obligation.

For almost 250 years now, since the revolution that brought us this birthday we have come together to celebrate, courageous Americans have been willing to lay down their lives to protect our freedom and our right to be equal under the law.

I recently came across these words by Gil Duran: "We owe our fallen soldiers more than flowers. We owe them vigilance. We owe them the courage to call lies what they are and to defend democracy not just from foreign enemies, but from the rot that grows when we look away. They kept the faith. Now we have to keep the country. Democracy isn’t inherited. It’s earned—every generation, every time."

His words remind us that Democracy is both sacred and fragile. It must be defended by those of us who hold it dear and see it as our obligation to carefully safeguard it and hand it, with reverence, down to our children and grandchildren.

I enjoyed the parade this morning and I hope you did too. I hope you will enjoy the fantastic music of our City Band and the other performances on this stage today, that some fabulous food finds its way to you along the way, and that I see you at the silent disco in the park tonight.

But Independence Day is much more than a celebration. It is a day for deep reflection, for each of us to consider what this day signifies, and what this moment in time calls on us to do as Americans.

If the dismantling of democratic systems at the federal level insults your soul as it does mine, I encourage you to find your people. Americans across the political spectrum, recognizing the grave danger our democracy finds itself in, are organizing. These groups include conservatives, progressives, veterans, scientists, civil servants, librarians, teachers, universities, school districts, and many others. Find your people and get involved.

This work of protecting democracy is big tent work for all patriots – and all Americans of goodwill, all along the political spectrum, are both welcome and needed at this moment in time.

This isn’t political. It’s not about left or right. If it were, I wouldn’t be speaking about it today because today is a celebration for all Americans. It’s about being patriotic. And given our circumstances, there is no more appropriate conversation to have on our nation’s birthday.

Over the past three weeks, I have been honored to participate in re-commitment ceremonies that proclaim to our sister cities of Sviatohirsk, Ukraine and Guanajuato, Mexico that Ashland is still in. We love Guanajuato and Sviatohirsk and we remain steadfast in our support of both of our sisters.  

As is our custom, we sent a delegation to Guanajuato in mid-June. When we arrived, we received the warmest welcome thanks to Mayor Samantha Smith, the Guanajuato City Council, and the people of Guanajuato. We unveiled plaques, joined in a ceremonial lighting of their eternal flame of peace, and re-committed our communities to the ongoing work and joy of being good sisters. And I accepted the key to the city of Guanajuato on behalf of the people of Ashland.

As is also our custom, Guanajuato has sent their delegation to join us in celebrating our Independence Day. Yesterday, we held the same re-commitment ceremony here in Ashland and unveiled the first Hearts of Guanajuato art installation, a joint project of the City of Ashland and SOU.

This year marks the 55th year of Ashland and Guanajuato being sisters, the longest running sister city relationship in the nation. At its heart, it is a people to people relationship that the City of Ashland, SOU, the Amigo Club, the Rotary, the Ashland School District, Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, and many other community organizations have nurtured over these past five decades. It is also global peacemaking and I am honored to have a part to play in ensuring that we continue to strengthen our relationship, share our cultures, and care for one another.

I will now invite Mayor Samantha Smith of Guanajuato to the stage to offer her thoughts.