African American

"To love America is to love all Americans."

It's a simple proposition—and an urgent one this Fourth of July, when the U.S. has rarely seemed more divided. And it's delivered in bracing fashion by John Cena, who muses on the meaning of patriotism, and the things should unite rather than divide us, in this remarkable new iteration of R/GA's "Love Has No Labels" campaign for the Ad Council.

As he walks through a typical small American town, talking directly to the camera, the pro wrestler—who's becoming a familiar face in the ad world these days—draws a line in the sand early on. Patriotism isn't just pride in one's country, he says. It's love for it. And loving one's country means embracing who and what the country really is—not what you might picture it to be.

Along the way, this small town turns out to be remarkably diverse—the essence of America itself—as we see citizens who are Latino, LGBT, Muslim, senior citizen, African American, disabled, and so on, all just as American as anyone else. The underlying message: To be a true patriot is to accept all Americans regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or ability.
In short, patriotism is love, Cena says, and love has no labels.