Let's celebrate our nation's independence while remembering its oppressed

dwilson1911

Jul 4, 2015

The 4th of July is a day to celebrate our nation’s accomplishments, but it also needs to be a day to analyze our history for its faults as well. History shapes our frame of reference, and if we do not acknowledge the errors of our past, then we our doomed to repeat them, and the Declaration of Independence will continue to represent unfulfilled ideals for many Americans.

In 1776, our country’s forefathers shocked many by their remonstrations, as other colonialists cowered to the thought of rebelling against the British. It is easy to see today that our forefathers were right and that Britain was on the wrong side of history. Ironically, the founders’ fight for freedom did not extended to their women and their enslaved African brothers and sisters.

Centuries later, the principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence of freedom, equality and justice have yet to be fully realized for all Americans, particularly black Americans. It is due to this disparity that the 4th of July has a different meaning to those that have yet to be fully included in its promises.

The Declaration of Independence states that “all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Since its founding, America has struggled to enact this claim of equality. It took almost 100 years for the institution of slavery to be abolished, and only after a brutal civil war. It took another 100 years for civil rights to be granted by law to African-Americans. It remains to be seen how much longer it will take to end the prejudice in our criminal justice system, get rid of mass incarceration, do away with second-class education for black children and to close the widening gap of economic disparities that continue to plague black and brown Americans.

Many of us who face inequalities and injustices daily view the 4th as an impious exercise in hypocrisy and vanity. Amidst the boasts of past achievements, our nation’s devotion to civil rights is dying out in many regards. This is evident in diminishing of policies and laws like the Voting Rights Act and affirmative action that were meant to create a more free and fair America.

Violent hate crimes against African-American communities appear to be on the rise. The recent shooting in Charleston and subsequent arsons of 7 African-American churches in cities all over the South are stark reminders of the racism and hate rampantly being cultivated in America. The Confederate flag, a symbol of oppression and hatred towards African-Americans, is still touted as celebrated heritage by some white Americans. There are more black men who are or have been imprisoned today than there were enslaved in 1850.

Many police departments still take a punitive approach to law enforcement when it comes to patrolling African-American communities as opposed to the sense of stewardship afforded to predominantly white neighborhoods. The deaths of Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Jr., Eric Garner, Tanisha Anderson, Akai Gurley, Rumain Brisbon, Jerame Reid, Dontre Hamilton, John Crawford, Ezell Ford, Dante Parker, Tony Robinson, Phillip White, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Antonio Zambrano-Montes and Freddie Gray are just some examples of victims of that attitude manifested.

On the very day that Americans celebrate their liberties, many still remain silent or even staunchly opposed to ensuring those liberties can be exercised by every single American. These inconsistencies and the failure to acknowledge them disturbs America’s present and endangers its future. The principals and accomplishments we celebrate on the 4th of July mean nothing if we do not take greater efforts to ensure they ring true for every individual American.

Michael Sainato is a Florida-based freelance writer that focuses on civil rights and environmental issues. Follow him on Twitter @msainat1