By Kimberly Fiorello
I take great joy from making my home in the Constitution State and in celebrating July 4th where parts of the Revolutionary War took place – where patriots fought and died for freedom. There is much we can learn from that generation of 1776, especially those from Connecticut.
Daring from Israel Putnam – He fought alongside General George Washington at the Battle of Bunker Hill and, at 61 years of age, he famously escaped capture by riding his horse down a rocky hill so steep no British Cavalrymen dared to follow. A squat monument at the corner of East Putnam Ave and Old Church Road marks the spot of his ride!
Bravery from Nathan Hale – When Washington needed someone to go behind enemy lines into New York City to spy on British movements, only this 21 year-old from Yale volunteered. He was caught. Then, hanged. His last words are what legends are made of – “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
The Art of Compromise from Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth – When the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were at loggerheads, Sherman and Ellsworth broke the deadlock with the Connecticut Compromise. This was not compromise for compromise sake, but for a win-win-win. Good for small states, good for big states, and good for the United States.
Sherman also has the distinction of being the only person to have put his name to the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. Talk about steady habits!
I celebrate July 4th knowing that I am blessed to be an American and a Nutmegger. To be sure, the founding generation had no thought of me – a girl born in Seoul, Korea, who grew up in Virginia, and who would decide with her husband to raise their four children in Connecticut. But, their fight for freedom is an inheritance I am grateful for, especially when I think of my grandmother’s courageous escape from North Korea and her journey to America on a ladies’ scholarship to a college in Illinois.
Our Declaration of Independence told the world that Americans would be blaze their own trail, free from the British empire. What gave them such moxie? The self-evident truth that we “all…are created equal” with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
When I was elected to the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting, I was thrilled to learn that, in 1776, this body passed a motion, without a single dissenting vote, to support the audacious Declaration of Independence!
I am Kimberly Fiorello and I am running for State Representative for District 149 to succeed Livvy Floren, who has served us with such grace and distinction. My vision for our state is that we can tap our Connecticut can-do spirit and relaunch ourselves to be daring and brave, to seek win-win-win compromises, and to illuminate a path forward with just devotion to the equal rights of every resident within our proud state.
In the coming weeks, I will share my thoughts about how we can work together to make Connecticut a better place to live for all of us.
Happy Independence Day, Greenwich!
Kimberly Fiorello is running for State Representative
