It is the 4th of July. Fireworks blazing, folks wearing their red, white, and blue, and cookout across the country. Sounds like a celebration made for the freedom of a nation, right? Well, while everyone is wearing their stars and stripes and waving their flags, I can only think of the red blood poured and the stars that were stripped out of eyes of my black and brown brothers and sisters. For a number of people in this country, freedom was not awarded to them.
Yes America gained freedom from Britain, but who exactly is free? In our constitution where the 13th Amendment made slavery move from the plantations to the prisons, to Declaration of Independance, where everyone has the right to “LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, we must ask ourseslves, is that true today, was it ever true?
These rights – BASIC RIGHTS – are not being granted to all who dwell in this nation. We have witnessed too many of our black and brown brothers die at the hands of this broken system and enough is enough.
The Declaration of Independence states,
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
The Declaration of Independence
It is time for us to consider this document and really think deeply about this passage, and what it means for us now, in this time. I encourage you to look at these videos based on Fredrick Douglas’ speech on the 4th of July over 100 years ago and reflect on where we stand presently, and where we must move towards for the future.