WHAT DOES FREEDOM REALLY MEAN TO AMERICANS?

Reflecting on Independence Day as a National Day of Resistance

By: Bernadine Ahonkhai, Ed. D

On July 2, 1776, the founding fathers voted to separate from England, followed by the drafting and ratification of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

While the document states that all men are created equal, endowed with the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the laws that emerged in its wake did not apply to Black or Indigenous Americans.

As people of color continue to be marginalized, excluded and discriminated against, the Fourth of July holiday -- a day intended to celebrate freedom -- is an increasing reminder of the Jim Crow era, representing decades of injustice and racial inequity. For this group, the July 4th holiday serves as an opportunity to reflect and meditate on their lived experiences.

Leaders speak about the United States as a melting pot, built by immigrants from all over the world, but the country has not always been welcoming to non-European newcomers, as evidenced even today through the current challenging federal immigration policies.  Racial discrimination remains a prevalent concern, impacting roughly 7 in 10 racial and ethnic minority adults.

During the first few months of Trump’s second term, he began an extensive attack on civil rights and racial integration, significantly altering the long-established enforcement of civil rights protections.  He has deployed the Civil Rights Act against those it was meant to protect and has systematically eroded 125 years’ gain by collapsing the equality apparatus and infrastructure of the federal government.

Seventeen years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as so many people of color were still denied freedom, Frederick Douglass posed the question: “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth 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.”  Both his question and his answer remain pertinent today.

The integrity of American democracy and civil rights continues to face significant challenges and requires immediate attention and action.  On this July 4th, instead of celebrating -- watching fireworks, enjoying concerts, parades, sporting events, picnics, and barbecues -- consider what you can do to push back against these egregious policies and help mount resistance against Trump’s apartheid policies. As you reflect on the day, we encourage you to explore some of our recommended reading and share with family, friends, and others:

• How the Word Is Passed: Remembering Slavery and How It Shaped America

• Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism

• Untold History: Africans in the American Diaspora, Origins, Past, and Present Contributions

• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America