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Posted by
LaKisha McKenney-Foots July 4, 2016 -
Filed in
Racial Education
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1,938 views
Why do you celebrate The 4th of July?
Freedom? Whose freedom? The Freedom that the forefathers of this country attained from England? So they could be free to do as they wanted?
What they wanted was the freedom to continue to enslave an entire race of people. They wanted freedom of religion. They wanted to govern themselves. They wanted to be FREE.
However, during their fight for freedom, they forgot about the African's fight for freedom. Africans were still in chains on July 4th 1776 and would be for another 88 years. Then for another 101 years Black people would live in a constant state of fear from the KKK or any white person who claimed anything against us because our rights were non existent. And for the last 51 years (yes it's only been 51 years since Black people have had rights in this country), there has been another kind of terror that Black people have faced. Uncertainty about where we stand in America. Brutality faced by people who are supposed to protect us. Uncertainty about our right to vote since it has to be redone every 25 years or so instead of just being a right we have. Our rights are voted on or extended. How is that okay?
So for that reason, I don't celebrate the 4th of July anymore. I haven't for the past 2 years but I almost slipped up yesterday and bought a couple of fireworks because they are pretty. But I didn't. I just can't bring myself to celebrate a holiday about freedom when not everyone was free at that time and many aren't now. Our freedom is an illusion.
""True freedom does not exist in this country. Oppression doesn't end until mass incarceration and police violence ends. Mass incarceration is just the corrupt government using a loophole in the 13th Amendment to continue slavery, servitude and oppression. Police violence is also a means to control and subvert POC and the poor. As long as different rules of law exists among races and classes, there is no independence from tyrants or real meaningful freedom.""-Author Unknown
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