by Kathie MM
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass, man of color, social reformer, orator, statesman, and fugitive from slavery in Maryland, had the following to say about the Fourth of July:
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is a constant victim.
To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes that would disgrace a nation of savages.”
Douglass’s words continue to ring true for millions of people in the United States today–men, women, and children routinely denied the liberty and justice for all promised to those who came to our shores. Just consider a few examples:
The remnants of the Native American genocides, survivors who continue to see treaties broken, lands stolen and/or polluted, rights disregarded;
The 2.2 million men and women incarcerated in this country (significantly higher than any other country in the world) and the racial discrimination built into sentencing,
Zero tolerance immigration policies towards men, women, children, and babies, more than tired and poor, fleeing danger and death.
Please, this Fourth of July, think of how we can do it better. Activism in the form of protests, demonstrations, petitions, and relentless shaming and exposure of the perpetrators of social injustice is probably essential; however, we also need to think creatively about combatting the fear and hatred those perpetrators deliberately seek to inflame for their own purposes. Many haters and hurters are reacting to their own anxieties and suffering in ways that help only the power mongers.
Can we create messages of love and brotherhood and sisterhood that can overcome the incentives to hatred and violence?
Can we follow the example of Kristin Mink, the brave young woman who spoke truth to power when the opportunity presented itself? If more seekers after peace, social justice, and preservation of a viable earth followed her example, perhaps next year’s Fourth of July would be an independence day for more of our nation’s people, and our planet would have a greater chance to survive.
P.S. No, I don’t think the power mongers, the racists, the hate purveyors, the despoilers of the environment, the enemies of peace and social justice are entitled to relaxing meals with their buddies and secret service agents in public places.
Please let me know what you think about this.