Welcome to The Newsfeed.

The United States will soon mark its 250th anniversary at a moment when many people feel divided, fearful and concerned about the future of the country.

With that in mind, for the last few months, we've been asking people we've interviewed for the show this question, "what does patriotism mean to you?"

Here's a response from Elle Cree, a trans woman and a veteran who we interviewed earlier this month for a story about her move to Washington from a red state.

Patriotism to me is being able to stand up for your values, to be able to stand in a city square and say, "the emperor has no clothes."

It's an old story.

And to be able to do so without fear of retribution, without fear of retaliation.

This country was founded upon people that held up their hand and said, "enough."

We have the ability to do that.

Our voices cannot be silenced.

Patriotism is treating everybody with respect, everybody with dignity, and to value each person's opinion.

I share that value.

And I expect others to give that same respect to me.

That's what being a patriot is.

It's not about putting flags on your car.

There's a John Prine song that I love, and it's "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore."

It's not about putting something up.

It's not about being somewhere on a Sunday morning.

It's about every day taking care of everybody that's around us and making sure that everybody has a voice at the table.

This week we'll share more examples of what people told us patriotism means to them.

I'm Paris Jackson, thanks for watching The Newsfeed.