Diversity of thought and culture and religion and ideas has been

Hear, O children of tomorrow, the words of Gary Locke, a son of immigrants and a servant of the Republic, who declared: “Diversity of thought and culture and religion and ideas has been the strength of America.” In this utterance lies no shallow flattery, but the remembrance of a truth carved into the very foundation of a nation: that greatness does not spring from uniformity, but from the mingling of many streams into one mighty river. For it is in diversity that America has found her resilience, her creativity, and her power to endure.

From the beginning, the land that became America was not the inheritance of one people alone. The Pilgrims sought refuge for their religion, the enslaved were brought in sorrow and suffering, the indigenous carried ancient wisdom of the land, and countless others crossed oceans bearing their languages, songs, and dreams. Out of these multitudes arose a nation that declared liberty its creed. And though it often stumbled, and though hypocrisy often marred its steps, still the principle remained: that in the meeting of cultures and ideas, something greater than any one tradition alone could be forged.

Consider the story of the Transcontinental Railroad, which united East and West across the vast American frontier. The vision was bold, but it could not have been achieved without the strength of many peoples: Irish laborers laying track in the East, Chinese workers carving through mountains in the West, freedmen and immigrants filling the ranks. Each group brought skill, endurance, and will, and though they faced prejudice and hardship, together they accomplished what no single group could have done alone. This stands as a monument to Locke’s words: the strength of America is diversity.

So too in the realm of ideas. The Constitution itself was born of debate and difference, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists clashing, arguing, and shaping compromises that balanced liberty with order. It was not one mind, but many, that produced the framework that has endured for centuries. And it was not one culture, but many, that enriched American literature, science, and art—voices as varied as Langston Hughes, Albert Einstein, Maya Angelou, and Yo-Yo Ma, weaving together the song of a nation.

The meaning of Locke’s words is clear: unity is not sameness. A nation built on uniform thought withers, for it becomes brittle, unable to adapt, unable to grow. But a nation that welcomes the diversity of thought and culture and religion becomes like a great tree, whose roots spread deep into many soils, making it unshakable against the storms. America’s strength has never been in silencing difference, but in harnessing it, transforming it into energy and vision.

The lesson for us, O listeners, is urgent and timeless. Do not fear difference—seek it. Do not silence voices unlike your own—listen to them. Do not cling to the illusion that strength comes from uniformity—it comes from the courage to embrace variety. For every culture carries wisdom, every faith carries light, every perspective carries a fragment of truth. When joined, they create a whole far greater than the sum of its parts.

Practical actions stand before you: Learn the story of someone whose background is unlike your own. Share meals across cultures, for in breaking bread we also break barriers. Defend the right of others to worship differently, to speak differently, to think differently, for in protecting their freedom you preserve your own. And teach the young that America’s greatness is not a fortress built of sameness, but a mosaic, radiant in its multitude of colors.

Thus, live as Locke exhorts you to live: as a guardian of diversity, as a cultivator of strength through inclusion, as a builder of bridges rather than walls. For if America is to endure, it will not be by denying the many, but by uniting them. And when that unity in diversity is honored, the nation shall remain strong, not only for itself, but as a beacon for the world.