In a powerful and wide ranging discussion, Congressman Elijah Cummings implores Americans to hold a mirror to ourselves and ask if we like what we have become. He argues that we should throw out the labels that divide us and focus on being Americans, and that it is our duty to leave our democracy in tact for future generations. The video is taken from excerpts from an interview with TEDxMidAtlantic curator, Dave Troy, recorded on March 30, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Congressman Cummings represented Maryland’s 7th district until his untimely passing on October 17, 2019.