America’s Independence Day 2026

From the President’s Desk

IIndependence Day 2026 marks my first holiday here at Henry Ford College, and I want to share a few thoughts with my colleagues at the College and our neighbors across Southeast Michigan.

Independence Day provides us with the opportunity to reflect on what freedom asks of us, what it makes possible, and for whom it is accessible. The independence we’ll celebrate this weekend was earned by people who staked their lives, their fortunes, and their honor on a novel but enduring idea: that all of us are created equal and entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To be sure, that idea remains a promise we are still working to achieve.

Like so many of you, I hold high hopes and aspirations about what we can become as a nation. Our country’s history is synonymous with both remarkable achievement and tremendous hardship; honest reflection on both is how we can grow stronger and be better. Here at Henry Ford College, we will continue to do our part and be a place where your freedoms are protected, and dialogue is encouraged. These necessary and courageous conversations can be the catalyst to move us forward.

Henry Ford College sits in the heart of one of the most diverse communities in America, and I believe that diversity is an essential source of both our strength and our beauty. We continue to work to be a Welcoming College by intention and by practice, while recognizing those efforts are a continuous journey, not a destination. Every day, our faculty and staff work to make this campus community one where all students, faculty, and staff can feel like they belong, are supported, and can achieve their goals. The freedom we honor this week is only authentic when it belongs to, and is fully accessible to, all of us.

On this 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, I hope you’ll choose to celebrate in any way that is meaningful to you and with the people you love. As we pause to express our gratitude for the community we are working to build together here, and the country we can still become, I also hope you might also dedicate some thought to those who have been and continue to be denied or stripped of the full ideals and privileges of freedom. Those thoughts, at least for me, serve as encouragement to redouble one’s dedication to fighting for a more just, inclusive, and equitable world.

It is an honor to begin this work alongside all of you, and to step back onto a wonderful campus filled with determination, aspiration, and hope.

Happy Independence Day,

David M. Knezek, Jr.
President
Henry Ford College