Being an American means to me being free, especially free to worship and free to express myself. It means belonging , being a part of a story with so many different characters.

The freedom to love my country, my community, the flag, the anthem, practice my religion, yet the freedom to take a knee without being accused of being unpatriotic. . . It also means we live in a place where freedoms (abuse of) lead to hardships, bias, and catastrophe.

It means being part of the world's "super power" (strongest country).

Privileged.

You're kidding, right? Unless I say it's God's will, so . . .

I'm not quite sure anymore! It means living in a land where sons, daughters, granddaughters and grandsons of immigrants, grandsons like me have the opportunity to live freely, live openly and believe or not without anyone defining who we are.

"American" is an identity which entails shared values and shared experiences. I am not entirely sure that I share them. Do I truly believe that US values are not just American but universal? Hardly.

I hate being American! Over here one is always something first, then American. Are you Asian American, African American, white American? Unfortunately, characterization leads to demarcation.

I don't know anymore. It used to be about freedom, the power or right to act, or speak, opportunities. I feel like as voters we are having less say.

Challenge. To find and retain a way of living with dignity.

It means an expectation, a frustration, a burden of consciousness of the experiences of others; a deep wish for unity, a hope that we can do better.

Being part of a country that works toward believing its freedoms, its humanity. A country that revises toward justice.