Pride, Independence, and the Work of Becoming Ourselves

As Pride Month closes and we head into the long weekend celebrating Independence Day in the United States, I’ve been reflecting on what these two commemorations can teach about this country in this moment, but also about the work of change itself.

Pride is a movement born from defiance, resilience, and radical hope. It began with people saying: Enough. We will not be ashamed. We will not be silent.

Pride honors generations who risked everything so that being LGBTQIA+ wouldn’t mean living in fear. It’s a celebration, yes, but also an act of resistance—a promise that we will not go back.

And yet today, there is no denying we’re in a regressive moment. Hard-won gains are under attack. Efforts to roll back marriage equality continue. Trans rights and healthcare are the target of vicious, cynical politics. Queer and trans youth are being told, in too many ways, that they don’t belong. I am old enough to remember a very different time in this country, and still carry the stories seared into my young mind, stories that have NEVER left me, from reading “And the Band Played On” to watching Philadelphia and being absolutely destroyed by the inhumane treatment and feelings of hopelessness. Sometimes those sentiments don’t feel so far away lately.  

It’s easy, in moments like this, to feel despair. To think history is unspooling in reverse.

But the story isn’t finished.

The Ongoing Project of America

As we start ramping up for Independence Day, I’m reminded of this: the nation’s founders, despite their flaws, knew one essential humility: you won’t always get it right. They designed a Constitution built for revision and correction. They didn’t insist upon their best attempt once and forever. They built a system premised on debate, change, amendment, checks and balances.

They knew we would get it wrong sometimes and that we would need to keep fighting, keep redefining freedom and equality in every generation. We celebrate Independence Day not because we achieved a perfect nation in 1776, but because we started one. When we honor the flag, when we gather with friends and family, when we watch fireworks burst over city parks and beaches, we’re not just paying homage to history. We’re expressing faith in the best version of this country yet to come.

Change Is Hard—And We've Done It Before

I think about these ideas a lot as a change coach. I know change is never easy. Whether in a country or in a single life, it requires uncomfortable reflection for best results. Honest confrontation with what isn’t working. The humility to admit failure and the courage to try again. It takes clarity of purpose, a plan for action, and a support system that reminds us why the work is worth it when it gets hard. We are in one of those hard moments now. A moment when seemingly inevitable march pf progress feels threatened.

But that doesn’t mean the forward progress has ended. Even if we’re not moving in the right direction at any given moment, that only means it’s time to keep pushing harder. To stand up for what we believe in. To hold fast to the belief that all of us deserve dignity, safety, love, and belonging. It’s a great moment to think about ways you can give your time, money, voice or presence to a cause that is meaningful to you that you see wavering under the pressure. Most everyone can expend a few dollars OR hours OR the time it takes to call an elected official and tell them how you feel, possibly while standing in protest with like-minded patriots.

A Hopeful Homage

This week, as one month ends and another begins, I’m holding these two celebrations together.

Pride, with its bright banners of inclusion and defiance. Independence Day, with its aspirational promise of liberty and justice for all. Neither is finished. Both demand our participation.

So let’s celebrate not just who we’ve been, but who we want to become—individually and as a nation. Let’s honor the flag not just for what it symbolizes, but for what it can yet mean. Let’s stand up, speak out, and keep working toward better days ahead.

Because the story isn’t over. And those who rise to the occasion get to help write the next chapter.

If you’re reflecting on what standing up for your values looks like in your own life, or want support making your next chapter more aligned, bold, and true—I’d be honored to help you do that work.

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