To the editor:

America is a dream. It’s an ideal to which we aspire, a promise made to us, and a promise that we make.

It means something a little different for everybody. To me — and I’m biased as a Rhode Islander — it means Hope. It means that no matter what yesterday brought, tomorrow can be different. Better. That no matter how dark it is, we can still shine a light.

There is no promise that we won’t have to work to shine light on hope. Our founders saw this, and through all their faults they recognized the continued work of the people necessary in order to sustain our country.

This Independence Day, I will celebrate America. I celebrate the ideals for which I strive and I celebrate the hope I see in the light at the end of the tunnel.

I celebrate the parts of America, deep in its core, that allow me to work for the America that I want.

Jacob Brier

Barrington