John, today we celebrate the Declaration of Independence.

It’s built on the idea that each and every one of us is created equal, and that each of us deserves equal treatment under the laws of this nation.

No tyrants, no kings, no one above the law. Just a government of, by, and for the people.

But 249 years later, we stand at a new crossroads. Every day we face unprecedented attacks from the current administration on the Constitution, the rule of law, the right to vote, and our democracy itself.

But just as we have at every previous crossroads, we are standing up to fight back. We made that choice when it came to our independence from the British Empire; again when it came to defeating the Confederacy and ending slavery in the Civil War; we fought and overcame fascism and tyranny in World War II and we overthrew Jim Crow to establish Civil Rights and Voting Rights twenty years later.

Let’s remember where we came from, what we’re made of, and who we are at the end of the day.

We are the heirs of the sacrifice, the service, the struggle that has brought us through these last 249 years. What we do with this inheritance – whether we “meanly lose it or nobly save it” – will define us in the pages of history and determine our country’s future.

Let’s keep the faith and keep up the fight.

— Beto

P.S. Watch my full Independence Day message here. Thank you for standing with us in this work.