July 4 may be just another day on the calendar, but to Americans, it is known as Independence day — but I'm sure anyone reading this knows that. America has a tendency to let our traditions, holidays, and milestones in history known to not only everyone in the country, but around the globe and this holiday is no different. My parents are immigrants from Guyana, and even before they came to the US, they knew about the significance of the Fourth of July; the day the Declaration of Independence was signed, thus signaling the beginnings of the countries 'freedom." The question is: who actually became free in body, mind, and spirit? History has shown that based on the policies, laws and even amendments written into the framework of the nation, "freedom" depended on if you were white, male and owned property.

Today most of us know that we can be none of these things and still be considered "free," but honestly I look at the country today and yes, we've made strides to fix own flawed and damaged past. The past that for many is their past not by choice of being here but by forced importation into a foreign land. For others, it was promises of equality and liberty, some of our core values, that brought them here. It is what brought my parents here and they are proud to be here. However, as someone who knows what they truly deserve compared to what they actually have, it's a shame. It's a shame because I know institutionally, we aren't close to freedom.

Who is this 'we?" It's the majority of the country, but one wouldn't know this by looking at who runs the nation. Yes, people of color have risen and the number of people of color in positions of power has steadily increased within the past few decades. But it' is still mostly white men. The executives in the top businesses in America, also mostly white. And speaking of business and money, socioeconomically, America is extremely divisive. The majority of millionaires are white, people in above average income communities are white, and who have better career outlooks and long term outcomes are, yup, white. And you can only guess who's on the other end of the spectrum. Mass incarceration is also one of the rather shameful things America is known for- having more people incarcerated than the population of some countries. And this too is divided into racial lines.

How could a nation that claims to be a melting pot, filled with people of all different ethnic and national backgrounds, a nation made up of immigrants who dream of coming here for a better way of life have so much inequality? I ask myself this when I see the news reports of yet another police killing of an unarmed person of color, another acquittal of a blatant murder, another statement from a president who constantly degrades and dehumanizes women, and seeing migrant families detained in cages at the border because they are here "illegally." I get that there's a process to become a citizen, but caging children is completely inhumane and not at all necessary especially for children who pose no dire threat to the nation's security and well-being.

This may not be the cheerful patriotic article about how far America has come from the evils that plague our past, but I do want to insert some hope. We live in an age where activism and highlighting issues such as the ones I've mentioned, is a goal of the rising generation. Our access to media gives us an opportunity to let our concerns be heard and for us to join others who feel passionate about these issues so that we can band together and actively work to drive positive change. Many grassroots organizations have started via social media or word of mouth and they have been formed by people of color who have had it with how things are in America.

Like it or not, many of us are American; we were born and raised here and if you're like me and have an idea of what it's like for people who weren't born here but came from somewhere without all the resources and potential of having a good life, you know that this could be a place where there can be liberty and justice for all. I know I want to work towards seeing that day and would love to be alive to see that day. But we have to keep the conversation going- we can't let up even if it seems impossible to let our voices be heard. A few of us have made it to the top, which is great but we can't stop there

Contrary to the president's rhetoric, America never was fully great. We were founded on inherently racist beliefs ingrained in the country's founders. But, I think we are on our way to becoming great. There are ways to go, but I believe in the near future, we will actually be a nation that I can celebrate the independence of because then there will be liberty and justice for all.