So a few days ago was July 4th and people made a huge deal about it. There were celebrations, fireworks. People left work early on Friday. And I’m thinking to myself why is everyone causing such a commotion?
It’s not my birthday, and people usually celebrate that. Occasionally a movie will come out on July 4th, but that’s kind of rare. I suppose some July 4th’s have anticipated albums being released, but that wasn’t the case this year. Why the big deal? Why did the entire town seem to shut down?
Then it hit me. I remembered what I learned in school, that one time that I actually paid attention. The teacher was like “blah blah blah 1776 yadda yadda yadda Declaration of Independence.†But I mean, that happened so long ago. Why don’t people move on? I mean it happened but it doesn’t really have anything to do with what’s going on today. It has no bearing on the present, so folks should just get over it already.
To me the fourth of July is no different than any other day. It’s the same as February 11th or August 13th. It’s as memorable as the day after Veteran’s Day or a week before Memorial Day. It’s just another day that has little meaning in reality. It means that we’re five days past June, is that a cause to celebrate? Is that a reason to spend extravagantly on fireworks?
Maybe I’m just jaded. Perhaps I just don’t relate because Independence Day doesn’t really pertain to me. I mean, I’m Black so the Declaration of Independence really had no impact on my people or me way back then. Well maybe Blacks were happy to be free from the tyranny of the British. Oh wait, they were to busy being enslaved by different white people to notice.
Symbolically July 4th doesn’t work, at least for me. I’m supposed to celebrate the birth of a country that treated people who looked like me pretty shabbily up until about forty years ago? I’m supposed to celebrate a country that profited off the Black backs? The idea of celebrating a country with a history rich with racism just strikes me as odd, and kind of disturbs me. You wouldn’t ask the former Czech Republic to celebrate Russian holidays.
Speaking of history, July 4th doesn’t really work for me in a historical context either. Some white guys decided that they wanted to be free, yet still keep Blacks in slavery. In fact the sister document of the Declaration of Independence states that slaves are 3/5’s of a person. But on July 4th, I’m supposed to “let freedom ring†even though in a historical context I wasn’t quite human. Yet I’m supposed to applaud their shortsighted actions?
Let’s be honest, July 4th is in its essence a white holiday. It’s for white people by white people. Do Jews celebrate Christmas? Do whites celebrate Juneteenth? Do cattle celebrate July 4th? Then why should Blacks, because really to whites we were nothing more than cattle back then?
Some readers may object to me linking Independence Day and slavery, but the two are linked. Who can’t see the connection between freedom and slavery? It’s really just a straight line, no hidden curves, no hidden angles. Some white guys decided that they were tired of living under an oppressive rule and made up their mind to change things, while still oppressing another group of people, because apparently freedom is only good in moderate quantities, and only for some people.
I bet some of you readers are thinking “great, another Black person talking about slavery. That happened so long ago. Why doesn’t he move on? I mean it happened but it doesn’t really have anything to do with what’s going on today. It has no bearing on the present, so he should just get over it already.†If that is the case then why are we celebrating the 4th of July?
If whites can celebrate the 4th of July and be proud of it, they why can’t they acknowledge slavery and atone for it? Basically what I’m saying is that you can’t pick and choose which aspects of American history you want to acknowledge. To quote Alan Thicke “you take the good, you take the bad.†If you are going to celebrate the accomplishments then you have to recognize the atrocities. You can’t just say, “those white guys are good, but the white guys over there are bad.†Well I mean, you can, but they you would be a hypocritical bastard, just like those guys who drafted the Declaration of Independence and forgot to draft the Emancipation Proclamation.
Clearly in light of Bill Cosby’s recent remarks some may disregard this column as making excuses. But I’m not, what I’m making is an observation. If truly red-blooded Americans celebrate July 4th to the fullest, then truly red-blooded Americans should equally atone for slavery.
