January Contreras: We must live the Declaration of Independence

On this day in 1776, our Declaration of Independence was adopted, announcing our independence as a nation, and adopting the revolutionary framework that all men are created equal.

I’ve always loved Independence Day, as a time to wave our flag higher than ever and celebrate the principles our nation’s founders laid out. In fact, my family and I once celebrated the Fourth of July at Independence Hall – the birthplace of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution – to honor the proud spirit of this day.

This year, however, my family’s visit to the home of President Abraham Lincoln is more on my mind than the liberty bell. President Lincoln did not just celebrate the words of our founders, he persevered each and every day to live them out. We know this most impressively through his words in his Gettysburg Address, but consider also these words he shared when an anti-immigrant party, the Know-Nothings, was gaining influence:

“As a nation, we begin by declaring that 'all men are created equal.' We now practically read it 'all men are created equal, except negroes.' When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty..."

We no longer have the leadership of giants like President Lincoln to lead with honesty and integrity based on our founding principles, but we do have one another.

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Today, it’s up to us to be the protectors of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. There is a drumbeat growing across our country that suggests that all men and women are not equal, do not have the same right to equal protection, to vote, to protect their families and keep their children in their care, to control their own bodies and health care decisions, or to speak truth through a free press and open internet.

Just like President Lincoln, we know better. I personally became a lawyer, a prosecutor, and a legal center founder because I never wanted to be powerless to fight for the well-being of myself or others - and that's true no matter a person's race, religion, sexual identity or birthplace. And I’ve met families and people throughout Arizona who are volunteering or leading community work precisely because they also refuse to be powerless.

This Independence Day, I encourage you to keep waving that flag, and to also take a moment to reread the powerful promise of our founding principles. There's no greater way to celebrate the meaning of today then ensuring those principles endure.