Celebrating the 4th of July?
In the struggle for peace through justice! Speak Up! Silent No More!
DISCLAIMER For the record. .... opinions expressed are strictly my own and solely belong to me. and do not reflect intended to malign any religion, nor deny the historical event.…all good come from Almighty Allah and all the deficiencies are my own…I simply enjoyed the fireworks If my post offended you, I apologize, and I am learning and always reflecting…I do not celebrate the 4th of July for what it represents today, and the past for the injustices of slavery.
When you really understand U.S. history, there is no way to view the 4th of July other than how Frederick Douglass had put it in 1852.
Frederick Douglass, a prominent abolitionist, and former slave delivered a powerful speech titled “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” on July 5, 1852.
In this address, he eloquently expressed the stark contrast between the celebration of American independence and the harsh reality faced by enslaved individuals.
Douglass lamented that Independence Day was not a cause for celebration for those in bondage. He challenged the nation’s hypocrisy, emphasizing the disconnect between the lofty principles of freedom and justice enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the brutal institution of slavery.
His words remain a poignant reminder of the struggle for equality and justice.
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? …the gross injustice and cruelty… your sound of rejoicing is empty and heartless… it is hollow mockery of your prayers and hymns, and sermons… your religious parade and solemnity, are mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloodier, than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.”
Since European colonizers arrived on the shores of the USA this is a country built on stolen land drenched in the blood of untold millions of Indigenous peoples.
This is a country built on the backs of Black people who were stolen from their homelands, enslaved to work on plantations and build White House, roads, and bridges.
Today, the entire economy is built on enslavement prisons taking the place of plantations is military-industrial-complex, and Zionism controlling the economy and the halls of power.
This is a country that dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities and wages endless proxy wars on behalf of Zionist Israel giving trillions of tax dollars for seventy-five years.
This country implements crippling blockades, sanctions and economic warfare preventing medical equipment and other vital necessities from reaching people who need it.
Trade Unions have been fighting tooth-and-nail against these so-called progressive union busting companies for minimum wages, medical benefits, maternity and retirement benefits.
USA sponsors right-wing death squads, assassination, and regime change around the globe replacing it with a U.S. puppet regime. This is a country where police departments are militarized and have no problem in indiscriminately gunning down Black people.
On average, police in the United States shoot and kill more than 1,000 people, the majority are African American every year, according to an ongoing analysis by The Washington Post.
Should I be celebrating July 4th?