On this Fourth of July, I’m reminded of how precious and fragile our freedoms are and why freedom is so much bigger than one party’s narrow definition. Freedom is what we fight for every single day.
Freedom is the right to choose the makeup of your family. Freedom is the right to be with the person you love. Freedom is the right to organize for a better workplace. Freedom is the right to walk around the grocery store knowing you’ll make it home safe at the end of the day.
But I know that some of us aren’t feeling all that free right now, friend.
I took on the role of Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party to help shape our state so every Iowan has the freedom to control their own futures and the opportunity to build a life they’re proud of.
But that’s not the Iowa that Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans are building.
They are already making moves to roll back fundamental reproductive freedoms. They have attacked our children who just want to play sports with their friends. They have threatened our teachers who just want to nurture and empower the next generation. They have ripped away our right to demand better in the workplace. They have made Iowa an unwelcoming and dangerous place to live.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Iowa was the first state to integrate schools, one of the first states to declare that love is love, and the first in the nation to elect a woman to public office.
At the end of the day, friend, we are all Iowans, and it’s in our nature to fight for the liberties and rights of our neighbors. Iowa Democrats are in this for the long haul.
Have a safe and happy Fourth,
Ross Wilburn, Iowa Democratic Party Chair
