MS NOW anchor Ali Velshi cited the country’s “so-called democracy” and its “unresolved racial politics” as reasons for him not fully buying into the country’s 250th birthday celebration. (Watch the video below.)

“Anniversaries are imperfect records of the thing which is being celebrated,” he said on his show Sunday. “In America’s case, anniversaries often gloss over the racial dynamics underlying much of America’s history and politics, issues that remain unsolved, because America has never actually fully reckoned with its racist past and its original founding sin of slavery.”

He continued, “In one month, America will mark the 250th anniversary of its founding. Like previous anniversaries, there is a deep unease about this. I feel a deep unease about the celebrations to which I am invited to mark the 250th anniversary of our so-called democracy.”

Pointing to fundamental unrest fomented by racism, Velshi added:

“Women and Black Americans have seen their rights taken away. The Voting Rights Act has effectively been gutted. A number of states are continuing to gerrymander their congressional maps ahead of the midterm elections, with the explicit effect of taking away political power from Black Americans.”

Velshi, who was born in Kenya, raised in Canada, and became a U.S. citizen in 2015, empathized with other Americans who may have been hesitant to fully enjoy the festivities.

“If you’ve got conflicting feelings about America’s upcoming anniversary — like you want to celebrate the ideals that America strives for, which are noble and should be celebrated, but lament the state of the country — you’re not alone. At least I’m with you on this.”

The heartfelt words of Velshi were unsurprisingly met by racism online.

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