Celebrating July 4th: Loving America, While Reckoning with Her Past

Let me start by saying, I love America. However, it is no secret that America has never been a great place for all of her citizens. I always say, America is like a parent that is struggling with addiction. You love her because she is your parent. You would do anything for her because she is your parent, but that does not mean you don't try and get her into rehab to help her beat her addiction. The analogy is not perfect, but I use it because I truly do love America more than any other place in the world. It is my home. It has been my family's home for generations.

Additionally, if you know me, then you also know that my love for history, especially American history is unparalleled. The ideals set forth at the founding of America speak louder than the actions taken by the very men who put those ideals to paper. "To hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal" means more than Jefferson could have anticipated considering he wrote those words while simultaneously enslaving men and women.

A commitment to liberty and justice for all goes beyond the coined words in the pledge of Allegiance. The ideals of our nation mean something, despite the fact that the promise of those ideals have yet to be fulfilled for all Americans.

This conflict between America's actions and America's ideals often leave me in a paradox. On the one hand, I love America more than anything and I see her potential to be great. But, on the other hand, I lament for her past sins and the perpetual injustice she casts upon her black and brown citizens. This is something that I struggle with all the time, but especially on days designed to honor America's legacy, such as today, her day of independence.

In 1852, Fredrick Douglas asked an important question, What to the slave is the Fourth of July? Today, in the same vein, I ask: What do we do about the 4th of July, when America continues to fail at fulfilling her promises for all of her citizens?

The easy answer of course, would be to just do nothing. To choose not to celebrate a nation that still turns a blind eye to the mistreatment and killing of its black and brown population, while claiming to be the greatest nation in the world. I know that some of you reading this might subscribe to that answer and that is perfectly acceptable. It is okay to choose not to celebrate the 4th of July, because on that day - freedom only came to a portion of America's children. Fredrick Douglas said it best when he said:

"The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn."**

Yet, even with the understanding that this day did not originally include people who look like me, I want to celebrate the 4th of July. I know you are thinking, why or how can you celebrate a country so plagued with problems and issues. In all honesty, the only answer that I can give is my desire to choose hope.

I celebrate America today not because of what she is, but what she could be. I celebrate America because the ideals of our nation commit us to a promise. A promise of freedom, liberty, equality, and most importantly a promise of justice. I hold true to the hope that one day, America will truly be great because she will acknowledge and repent of her sins. I hope that one day every person that calls America home, regardless of skin color, will find that America treats them the same. Until that day, I continue to celebrate the 4th of July, but only with the caveat that we have so much work to do.

I want to be clear that this does not mean anybody - past or present - gets a pass. America is not great and she will never be if we do not continue to recognize that this day reveals to use more than any another day, the gross injustice and cruelty to which black and brown people are constantly the victim.* If we are to be patriotic, our patriotism must be comprehensive.

This brand of patriotism requires both pride and shame, both joy and lamenting. It is a patriotism that understands that America is ripe for criticism. It is a patriotism that pushes for justice and racial equality. In the words of James Baldwin:

"I love America more than any other country in the world, and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."

Lastly, If you are going to celebrate today, don't do so blindly. Do so with a commitment to make America a place worth celebrating. She is not there yet, but she could be.

**Taken from Fredrick Douglas, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" - https://loveman.sdsu.edu/docs/1852FrederickDouglass.pdf