If you can not go to school without the fear of being shot, then you are not free.

If you can’t leave your job because you will lose your health insurance, then you are not free.

If you choose not to seek medical help because you are afraid of getting high bills, then you are not free.

If you can only pursue higher education by going into debt, then you are not free.

If financial donations are considered speech, and you do not have as much money as others, then you are not free.

If you do not have autonomy over your body, then you are not free.

If you must overcome hurdles in order to exercise your right to vote, then you are not free.

If you are required to return to work too soon after having a child, then you are not free.

If you are impacted by racism or xenophobia, then you are not free.

If you are impacted by homophobia or transphobia, then you are not free.

If you are impacted by anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, then you are not free.

If the necessities of life are not available in your local store, then you are not free.

If you are not guaranteed basic housing, or a living wage, or security, then you are not free.

If you can not unionize, then you are not free.

If you can not guarantee that others will act with consideration to support public health, then you are not free.

If you carry a greater burden of the impacts of climate change, then you are not free.

America is not yet the land of the free. But it is the home of the brave.

And if the brave can rise up together and fight for a just, peaceful, compassionate society, then we will truly be free, and we will all be able to “lie down to rest, untroubled and unafraid.” (Leviticus 26:6)