How do you define what it means to be an American? Define American, the campaign by immigrant-rights champion Jose Antonio Vargas, has been bringing this question to the U.S. public since the launch of the campaign site’s story tool last November. The conversation has been heated, but some have been unsure whether our elected officials in Washington have been listening. Now, Define American and Fission Strategy are proud to say our officials are engaging the campaign more than ever as Senator Harry Reid of Nevada joined the conversation to define American.

In his video, Senator Reid described what he thinks of when asked to define what it means to be American:

“My wife’s father: born in Russia. My mother in law: Lithuanian. My grandmother (is) from England. So when we hear all this talk about immigration, and it’s not good for the country, well, it’s been good for me. And I think it’s good for the country... it sets us apart from any other country as being a country who assimilates people from other parts of the world. That’s what’s made this country great…"

Other U.S. Senators that have joined the conversation include Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado. You can make sure these leaders and others continue to listen by adding your voice to the mix of Americans that insist upon a more dignified dialogue about immigration.

For more information about the Define American campaign, check out Fission’s blog post here and submit your own video, photo, or written story with the story tool today!