“The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that bought light and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
~Frederick Douglas, July 5, 1852
And that’s on who?! Periodt! (Or whatever the kids are saying nowadays). Simply put, the Fourth of July is not for us! Here’s some quick history for those who may be confused on what July, 4th REALLY means:
On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed with the notion that the 13 United Colonies had the right “to be Free and Independent States”. BUT, the gag is OUR people, our black people, were still enslaved! How can a nation declare independence, preach freedom, and go home to dinner being served by a black slave! Does that sit right with you?
Now let’s fast forward to June 19th, 1865: Over 2 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation stating “all persons held as slaves, shall be then, thenceforth, and forever, free”, our people were finally “free”. Free in the sense that we could no longer be owned, but here we are today still fighting to be free and SEEN! Preaching aside, July 19th, 1865 served as a foundation of hope.
On June 17th, 2021, President Biden declared June 19th a national holiday. We aren’t criticizing anyone who attended cookouts, or who adorned red, white, and blue and enjoyed the fireworks at sunset, we are simply saying, educate yourself on the history and the why. We didn’t do July 4th, but we definitely celebrated Juneteenth! And now...so does the nation.
"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" He also states "What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim."
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