It's a hot summer day summer today, please everyone go out with your summertime ting and get some ice cream, not mint chocolate chip though that flavor is nasty! As the fourth of July creeps upon us every year we begin to think Johnson Family cookout vibes, but please rethink that vibe! As black people living America, African Americans; many of us are blinded of our history. And not by choice! We go by the white man's HIStory and chomp on a hotdog and play our spades, getting drunk at grandmas house. Now, disclaimer, this is not MY history as a black woman and I am not taking this historic calendar event away from my white counterparts; that is like taking black history month away in some way or another. Fourth of July is not a jewel for black people, sadly many of us are uninformed.
Fredrick Douglas granted his voice in New York, for the Declaration of Independence, stating " This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn." Now, what did he mean by that you may ask? Well, I have the answer; the founding fathers were "making America great again" for all humans with white skin. Thomas Jefferson is a popular man throughout American history known for his contribution towards the Declaration of Independence. Some would see him as a nobleman marrying a black woman (that he raped) Sally Hemings producing negro kids and having them to be the apple of his eyes. Meanwhile, they share the same west African blood as his slaves picking cotton til their fingers bleed out. Humans with the colored skin of Oak were considered lesser than, not humans.
Blacks and other minorities were considered property, take into account the three-fifths law compromise. With compromise 5 slaves would be seen as 3 slaves, with no rights to vote and unfair representation. And the tea gets even hotter! The compromise was put in place days after the Declaration that stated everyone is created equal. That is true we may all be created equal but the treatment tells differently. So what do you think about celebrating the fourth of July? Is this holiday taught wrong in school? Should it be renamed Frederick Douglas day? Let us talk about it, Kings and Queen's xoxo.
