What to Black People is the Fourth of July?
Reflections of Frederick Douglass’ speech and how his words remain relevant today.
“I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” Excerpt from Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July“ on July 5, 1852
On July 4, 1776, while America was celebrating her independence, Black people remained enslaved and would continue existing as “property” until 1865.
This country has celebrated July 4th as a day of pride and patriotism for all Americans. I’m definitely not averse to attending a fun barbecue, but there's this nagging twitch I can’t shake called “historical facts” that won’t allow me to view this day with the same joy it brought me as a child.
“To be (Black) in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be…
