1. The Hypocrisy of 1776
When the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, 1776 — declaring "all men are created equal" — Black people were still enslaved. There was no freedom for the millions of Africans and their descendants held in brutal bondage. The ideals of liberty and justice were not extended to them.
So, for many, the 4th of July doesn't represent freedom. It represents the beginning of a national myth — one that excluded Black Americans from its promises.
2. Frederick Douglass’ Famous Speech (1852)
This feeling was immortalized by abolitionist Frederick Douglass in his speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" He said:
"This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn."
He exposed the contradiction of a nation celebrating liberty while violently oppressing an entire race of people.
3. Systemic Oppression Continues
Even after slavery ended, Black Americans faced:
- Jim Crow laws
- Lynching and racial terrorism
- Mass incarceration
- Police brutality
- Economic exclusion
- Voter suppression
So when people say “celebrate freedom,” many Black Americans ask: Whose freedom?
4. Alternative Days of Reflection
Instead of the 4th, some Black communities center:
- Juneteenth (June 19th) — the day enslaved people in Texas were finally freed in 1865, marking the real beginning of emancipation.
- Kwanzaa — a cultural holiday focused on African heritage, unity, and self-determination.
- Or use the 4th to reflect on unfinished freedom, rather than to celebrate something that never fully included them.
Bottom Line:
It's not about being “anti-American” — it's about historical honesty. Black Americans have contributed enormously to the nation — building its wealth, fighting in its wars, advancing its culture. But they’ve also had to fight tooth and nail to access the very rights the 4th claims to honor.
So not celebrating isn’t about hate — it’s a form of resistance, memory, and demand for accountability.
For many Black people, the 4th of July is a reminder — not of freedom achieved, but of freedom denied.
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