"Patriotism is not the exclusive property of any one group. It belongs to all Americans who love and cherish this country"

Patriotism is framed not as a credential awarded by birthright, party affiliation, or conformity, but as a living commitment to a shared home. It challenges the habit of gatekeeping national devotion, treating it as a membership card that only some are allowed to hold. Love of country is not validated by uniformity of background, appearance, faith, or opinion; it is validated by care, participation, and responsibility.

The messenger matters. Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American who resisted wartime incarceration, understood how easily fear can redefine who is allowed to belong. His life insists that devotion to American ideals often requires dissent, and that critique can be an expression of loyalty rather than its betrayal. A patriot may salute the flag and also demand the Constitution live up to its promises; the two acts reinforce each other.

At its heart, the statement centers values over identity. Patriotism resides in the affection that immigrants and descendants of the enslaved feel for a country they helped build, in the quiet service of essential workers and the noisy activism of movements for justice, in the sacrifices of military families and the civic care of neighbors who vote, volunteer, and listen across differences. It recognizes that America is plural by design, and that love for it will naturally take plural forms.

It also warns against narrow definitions that turn patriotism into a weapon. When only some are deemed “real Americans,” the nation shrinks. When all who cherish it are invited to claim stewardship, the nation grows, more resilient, more honest, more worthy of love. The measure is not who one is, but what one does for the common good: upholding rights, shouldering responsibilities, telling the truth about our failures, and working to repair them. Such inclusive belonging is not sentimental; it is the groundwork of a stronger democracy.