July 4th is finally here! This day is not only the 245th birthday of our country, and means the epitome of summer, but this year it means so much more! This year it means we all made it. We survived one of the most devastating events in our human history - COVID19. This year, July 4th means we finally can celebrate and hug our family members, neighbors, and friends - still being careful until we are 100% virus free!

Also, July 4th, our Independence Day, represents so much about our American story: freedom, bravery, patriotism, and of course the struggles, challenges, and prices many have dearly paid to call this country “home.”

The fourth of July is about gathering, grilling, and inevitably running out of ice, but above all, it's about celebrating America as a nation.

As we celebrate in concert with our children, families, friends, partners, and significant others, in this great place called America, no matter how unsure we are sometimes about our collective future, no matter how far apart our world views can be, we always carry with us that feeling of "America".   The feeling that freedom for all is possible, and that feeling that actress Lupita Nyong’o expresses as, "Dreams are the foundation of America."

                                                    Feliz día de la Independencia!