Dear Students,
“Seeking Haystacks” was the title of student Isaac Gerber’s final project, who sought to use artist Claude Monet’s painting of haystacks as a metaphorical window into self-reflection. Isaac saw Monet’s haystacks as an invitation to living beautifully, a portal to passionate engagement. Isaac, like so many of you, wrote about what calls to our spirit, what elevates us as humans, as citizens. In honor of our nation’s 250th birthday — a nation who stubbornly refuses to engage in serious self-reflection, glossing over our national flaws with pomp and circumstance — I celebrate your commitment to live authentic and courageous lives. You are inspired souls who tenaciously seek to create real change in our world. Thank you for bringing hope and delight to my personal life, and for being the brightest beacons of America’s original promise.
At its core, the Fourth of July marks a radical philosophical shift, an existential rebellion against the ancient, traditional concept that rights and sovereignty flow down from on high. Given human history, it is impossible to overstate how radical the idea of this country was, and still is: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Sadly, too many of you, because of gender and/or color, were not quite who the Founders had in mind, so we’re clearly a work in progress. But, you all see the power of this magnificent idea, and you are patient with those who selflessly bring their best, and impatient with those whose selfishness it may take our country years to recover from. Politics is a slippery slope, made slick by money and compromised characters, and too often, leaders don’t secure our consent. True democratic power only comes when we all act in concert. It is our job to defend principles of fairness and our inalienable rights — allowing all to participate — compelling us to wake from spells of spiritual forgetfulness and be ever vigilant in holding dear the spirit of our nation.
I know you understand — in ways older generations could not have grasped — that our fates are inextricably bound to each other. You are living in a time where information, inspiration, trauma and environmental changes are all quickly and clearly shared. You are immersed in this complicated identity, and you know in your hearts that to survive this dissonance demands a vibrancy and intelligence greater than previous generations. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote (a quote which you know well!), “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. The bonds of human dignity bind us.” You understand this. Many of us still don’t.
I’ve witnessed the generosity of your hearts and the clarity of your intellect. King stated that justice is love in action, and I have seen what your love in action looks like. You have power, power to make the world a kinder place. I have never spent more time with people whose innocence rings out with such pure, powerful fidelity; a group that is more interested in creating change and building a more just society. I am a better teacher, better father, better husband, better being because of you; thank you. I am here on this Fourth of July with the deepest admiration for you all, including your ability to compassionately connect in ordinary and profound ways. I believe connection and compassion are fundamental to our attempts to ascend from, as King said, “The quicksand of injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.”
The world today is scary by many measurements, and if I didn’t regularly hear brave, imaginative, compassionate and coherent ideas from my students, I would auger into despair. But as student Vince Kunowic says, inspired by Bryan Stevenson, “Everything we do now becomes momentous, and we need to take care of ourselves and each other equally. Just like Rosa Parks said, it’s going to make us tired, tired, tired, and just like Johnnie Carr said, we are going to have to be brave, brave, brave.” And like A.O.’s hero James Taylor said, “There ain’t no doubt in no one’s mind / That love’s the finest thing around.” We are going to get tired, and we’re going to have to be brave, but luckily, we have each other. We have you.
I have been teaching for over 50 years, and that is a long time. I have seen many, many students, and you are truly the people the world has been waiting for. My current class is perhaps the first generation that can easily grasp and carry the light of our essential tenet: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …” And on this July 4, 2026 — holding onto faith that our beautiful and beleaguered nation will find our way — that gives me hope. Thank you.
Chorus of a song I wrote after a trip with 12 students to Selma, Alabama. To listen, go to: bit.ly/4oNwP3f
We are the ones that the world
is waiting for
To wake the soul of a tired land
Confess/ the crimes that came before
Let the children show me the way
They are the ones who will understand
And the sun will rise once more.