I thought that I take a slightly different approach to celebrate this Independence Day in the United States. I understand not all may not catch what I’m doing, but I hope you feel that you can respectfully ask me any question or add to what I’m offering on this day of independence.

In America we celebrate our Independence today, July 4th, but I ask you to consider this day in the relations of the independence of many of her citizens. Have we obtained the independence our country was founded upon? I believe the best answer is ‘kind of, but not quite.’ I guess a better way to put it could be “don’t ask, don’t tell”.

Don’t ask what, to the American Black, the American Hispanic, the American Asian, the American Muslim and Native American, the American Gay, the American Poor is your 4th of July? Because you may not like or understand the answer.

Would it be a day that reveals to them, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which they are the constant victim?

Would it be a day to them a celebration of a sham; the boasted liberty, an unholy license; our national greatness, swelling vanity?

Would it be a day to them to recoil your sounds of rejoicing as empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants around the world, but lack of recognition of the ones among us; the shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; our prayers and hymns, the sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to them, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy or 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 bloody than are the people of the United States. But this is not the sum of who we are?

Although America has made grave mistakes and stood tall in her hypocrisy of democracy we have the opportunity today to celebrate a day of independence. Not just in the name of some patriotic tradition, but independence from what held us back for so many years. We continue to correct the mistakes we’ve made out of ignorance, defiance or subornest with our declaration of independence for all to gain from. When Frederick Douglas wrote and delivered the speech I thinly remixed above, independence was only reality for White men for the most part. Even White women weren’t totally free, despite being socially free.

Today many of us celebrate the accomplishments of America in midst of her failures. We have elected our first President of African decent. Although some continue to stubbornly cling to the ways of yesterday with their rhetoric and acts of hatred and violence towards the greatest assets of America; our diversity and independence. We still have a long road to haul, but what would America be without the diverse independence of the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of its people.
There is no other place on Earth I prefer to live, although there are many beautiful and wonderful places on this planet that we all should be appreciative of. America has much to learn and gain from the world as the world has to learn and gain from America. We are all caught in a network of mutuality. Our independence is bound by the independence of the world. This day of independence is just the day the United States celebrates its sovereignty, but everyday is a day we all can work towards our own independence from what binds us and to correct and improve upon the mistakes we’ve made in our own hypocrisy.

How will you celebrate your day of independence?

References & Inspirations
Frederick Douglas – 07/04/1852 “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”

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