I am always humbled by the strength of character of my ancestors. It often seems as if they were made of much firmer and essential stuff. It is infinitely harder for those of our generations to understand that the reason we have all the things we see as a matter of course is through the sacrifices of those who came before us. That all too often our ancestors better understood their present, their reality. That indeed, their hardships, their staring down and standing up to injustice would never benefit them. That their sacrifice was all for we future selves. All for the dream of this great commonality that we share. So that we can all say, yes, we've earned the right to call ourselves Americans. It's all we've ever asked, all we will ever ask, and people such as Harrison Fitch make me proud to say it.