Frederick Douglass is one of the few historical figures who is equally beloved by both the political left and the political right. An abolitionist and politician, he was a serious man who addressed serious issues. He preached a message of emancipation and self-determination. Unfortunately, the only time many people quote him is on Independence Day when they read his famous speech entitled “What is the Fourth of July to the Slave?”
Black people in America are the freest and most prosperous people of African descent in the world, which is why people from all over the world come here.
The speech drew a clear contrast between what American independence meant to the descendants of colonial settlers and what it meant to the millions of people still living as slaves in a republic founded on freedom.
The rich heritage of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence handed down to us by your fathers is shared with you, not with me. The sunlight that brought you life and healing brought me lashing and death. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, but I must mourn. It is an inhuman mockery, a blasphemous sarcasm, to drag a man in shackles into the grand, shining temple of freedom and call upon him to join you in singing anthems of joy.
It is a historical fact that African slaves were not free on July 4th, 1776. It is easy to see why Frederick Douglass gave the speech in 1852, 76 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed and roughly two years after the Fugitive Slave Law was enacted. Some people who quote his speech do so for historical reasons, but my sense is that many who read it every July 4th are trying to suggest that America hasn’t made much progress on racial issues in the past 170 years.
Perhaps the second group of people should be asking themselves a different question today, namely, “What is the Fourth of July to a free man?”
The answer to this question will determine the future of black Americans for generations to come. It is difficult to thrive in an environment where hatred, envy, and loathing are the default emotions. When it comes to race, America has an admittedly complicated history. Our collective past has been used by race theorists such as Ibram X. Kendi and Nikole Hannah-Jones to argue that the country is irredeemably corrupt and that we need a new Founding Day, a new national anthem, and a new flag. This may feel cathartic for self-proclaimed revolutionaries, but only a fool would destroy the foundations on which he stands.
It goes without saying that, despite the rants of billionaire athletes and cowardly politicians, black people today are not slaves. We are not in shackles, we are not tied to plantations, we do not have to fear whips and lashes, and our families are not torn apart at the whims of masters. I understand the importance of knowing history, but promoting Colin Kaepernick’s stupid comments is the ultimate sign of ignorance. View The NFL Combine is a modern-day slave auction.
Black people in America are the freest and most prosperous people of African descent in the world. That’s why people from all over the world, including Africa and the Caribbean, come here. That’s why my parents left their family and friends to immigrate here in the 1980s. Sadly, one thing I’ve noticed from my generation who grew up in the U.S. is how quickly some embrace the anti-American rhetoric and narrative of oppression that the corporate media pushes on the black community.
Not only does this invite resentment from those who should be exemplifying gratitude, but it’s also absurd, given that every country our parents emigrated to has its own complicated history with race and slavery. The Caribbean was basically a chain of European slave colonies until the 1800s. But that doesn’t stop a Jamaican, Trinidadian, Haitian, or Bahamian from wearing and waving the flag in New York’s Labor Day Parade, Toronto’s Caribana Festival, or any other celebration of Caribbean heritage.
Black Americans are the only ones being told to reject their country because of its complicated history. It’s OK for a reggae artist to fly the Jamaican flag, but Beyoncé waving the American flag on her album cover is problematic. be Parts of the Black Left. This is self-destruction packaged as liberation.
I care about America’s future. I’m invested in America. My wife was born here. My children were born here. This is the only home I’ve ever known. And that’s why I reject any attempt to use the rhetoric of slavery to make me hate my country or see myself as a perpetual victim.
It’s time to end the false sense of powerlessness and selective empowerment. Black people, like all other human beings, must be agents of their own improvement. Those who pin their hopes for racial equality on bigger government and better white people need their heads examined. This is 2024, not 1824. Previous generations did not fight for freedom so that billionaire athletes could act as if they were oppressed because they played on teams owned by billionaires. We are not slaves. We are free. It’s time to act like it.
