The Fourth of July To Blacks?

Yesterday I went back and read Frederick Douglass' "The Meaning of July Fourth to the Negro?" It was mind boggling to read what Douglass said to a convention of abolitionists in 1852 when asked to give the keynote. "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn," Douglas told the Rochester audience. He goes on to question how a nation that fought for and now celebrates its independence can enslave another people without blinking an eye, without hearing the roaring contradiction.

Indeed, July 4th should make everyone pause to think. We live in the most powerful nation in the world, the most diverse place on the globe. For almost one hundred years, America celebrated on July 4th while enslaving Africans and denying them "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Even after emancipation (1865) and the next hundred years or so, we could not vote or enjoy the most basic privileges that others took for granted. Racism still diminishes the life options of African-Americans. In light of Hurricane Katrina, the 2000 Presidential Election and voting disenfranchisement, police brutality, poor health and mortality rates, blatant media bias, and employment discrimination, Douglass' speech has a contemporary relevance.

So, how do I celebrate the Fourth? I don't. Instead, I use it as a moment to reflect on our duplicitous history. I hang the flag anyway, keeping in mind that America is not yet mine. I am here as a reminder for my country to honor its high principles. America does have promise. Much like Dr. King's I Have A Dream speech, Douglass begged America to live up to that promise. He tells his audience that the arm of God is not shortened and chastises the Church for its failure to take a stand against injustice. Despite the darkness of the time, he ended the speech with glimmering hope: No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light.

I'll continue to fly the flag. One day it will ring true.