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Though I must admit, for the very first time in my life, I find self asking the question:
Given what July 4th represents in America, and given ALL the H*ll that My people – descendants of slaves – have gone through since July 4, 1776, AND continues to be subjected to in this country …what does this day really mean to me?!
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So today, I’m reminded of the keynote address given by Frederick Douglass, on July 5, 1852, at an Independence Day celebration when he asked, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
A Nation’s Story: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
Excerpt:
Douglass was a powerful orator, often traveling six months out of the year to give lectures on abolition. His speech, given at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was held at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. It was a scathing speech in which Douglass stated, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
– National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian
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Happy Independence Day!
Though I must admit, for the very first time in my life, I find self asking the question:
Given what July 4th represents in America, and given ALL the H*ll that My people – descendants of slaves – have gone through since July 4, 1776, AND continues to be subjected to in this country …what does this day really mean to me?!
So today, I’m reminded of the keynote address given by Frederick Douglass, on July 5, 1852, at an Independence Day celebration when he asked, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
A Nation’s Story: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
Excerpt:
Douglass was a powerful orator, often traveling six months out of the year to give lectures on abolition. His speech, given at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was held at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. It was a scathing speech in which Douglass stated, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
– National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian