Independence

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July 31, 2023

Every July, I wrestle with the concept of independence and who is truly responsible for my

freedom journey. It’s been years since I even said “Happy Fourth of July” or “Happy

Independence Day” because the history of my people does not align with the celebration (that does not mean that I do not hypocritically eat and prepare food to hang out with family on the same day). It does mean that I always think of the words of Frederick Douglass in his most profound speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”

Ossie Davis reads Frederick Douglass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-cVwuMmylA

He states:

“I am not included within the pale of 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 light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine…”

And for those among us who continue to argue that my people benefitted from slavery,

Frederick Douglass made these very salient points that still ring true today:

“What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong? No! I will not. I have better employment for my time and strength than such arguments would imply.”

For those who say: “I thank God for slavery,” he would have retorted:

“What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may; I cannot. The time for such argument is passed.”

It is hard to feel free while watching courts make it more difficult for this country’s citizens to vote. It is hard to feel free when affirmative action is ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but legacy admission remains. It is hard to feel free when we continue to bear witness to police violence nationwide. It is hard to feel free when we are balancing oppression with the challenges of everyday life. We all need outlets! That is why I am really missing my girl’s vacation this year because it is a time where WE feel so free! Being with them is equal parts joyful, nourishing, spiritual, and challenging. These ladies REQUIRE each other to be our best selves and I love it! So many of us have encountered great loss and experienced tremendous obstacles this year. I guess we will be building our playlists and getting our jokes ready for the Fall. See you soon, Machetes!