This Fourth of
July, Americans are being forced to see the nation's celebration for
independence differently. The combination of the coronavirus
pandemic, which has disproportionately affected Black Americans, and
the ongoing protests in response to the police killing of George
Floyd have brought attention to this nation's centuries-old history
of anti-Black violence.
The
death of George Floyd, a cis-gendered male, symbolizes the present
face of anti-Black violence — just as the death of Matthew
Shepard, a white gay male, symbolized homophobic violence after his
murder in 1998. As a matter of fact, Floyd's death appears to be an
inflection point and wake-up call for white America.
The
confrontation with Black Lives Matter protestors and police during
this pandemic has created the perfect storm for America's democracy
to face its not-so-storied past. On the holiday this Saturday, most
of us will be home with family and loved ones, in front of computers
or televisions, watching fireworks exploding and people singing the
"Star-Spangled Banner," reciting the Pledge of Allegiance
or reenacting the Continental Congress of 1776. However, what does
this year's Fourth of July mean to Black America?
The
same question was asked on July 5, 1852, by Frederick Douglass. In
his historic speech, "What, to the slave, is the Fourth of
July?" he stated to a country in the throes of slavery the
following: "What have I, or those I represent, to do with your
national independence. ... I am not included within the pale of this
glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the
immeasurable distance between us. This Fourth of July is yours, not
mine."
A
century-plus later, the "immeasurable distance" between
Black and white America is revealed in every metric in society —
health, wealth, education and employment, to name a few. The
deleterious effects of 250 years of slavery, 90 years of Jim Crow
followed by 60 years of "separate but equal" rule of law,
brought about the gaping disparities. The core principles in American
democracy stated in the Declaration of Independence are the
unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It's what Black America is still striving for peacefully.
However,
the current civil unrest is a direct result of not being heard.
The
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his Montgomery Bus Boycott
speech on December 5, 1955, "The great glory of American
democracy is the right to protest for right." In 2016, San
Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick protested against police
brutality and racial inequality — the same protest that is now
taking place on the streets of America and across the globe.
Kaepernick kneeled instead of the mandatory standing during the
national anthem. His action was seen as polarizing, un-American, and
un-patriotic. But Kaepernick stood his ground — and paid a
steep price for his moral stance.
It
was an act of patriotism.
The
NFL and the Americans who opposed Kaepernick could never understand
the lived reality Black and brown men face with police brutality,
sometimes resulting in a death like that of George Floyd. In 1968,
Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos lifted their black-gloved
fists as the national anthem played after they won the gold and
bronze medals in the men's 200-meter sprint — a gesture seen as
radical and an endorsement of Black power.
When
patriotism is narrowly defined, it can only be accepted and exhibited
within the constraints of its own intolerance. For example, racism is
baked in the story of American patriotism. The U.S. national anthem —
the "Star-Spangled Banner," written by Francis Scott Key
and sung at major sports events and every Fourth of July — is
one of the quintessential symbols of American patriotism. The song,
however, is racist. The man who wrote the song was racist. The song
wasn't meant for all Americans when Key wrote the lyrics in 1814. Not
only was slavery nearing its second century, but Key was also from a
wealthy and influential plantation family in Maryland. The song has a
controversial third verse that was never sung at events or ceremonies
because it was offensive — especially after 1865, the end of
slavery. The verse stated the following: "No refuge could save
the hireling and slave/From the terror of flight or the gloom of the
grave."
Key's
love for America is a patriotism that doesn't include Black Americans
— the enslaved people who, with blood, sweat, tears, and forced
labor, built the country he so revered. Centuries later, Black
expressions of patriotism are still denounced and demonized,
especially in this era, if expressed in
opposition to the status quo, which is
defined by President Donald Trump and his MAGA rallies. However, the
act of patriotism — when not hijacked or censored by
extremists, racists, or dictated by those in power — are bold
and courageous steps that express dissenting thoughts against
popularly held beliefs and rituals.
American
Revolutionary hero Patrick Henry is an example.
"Give
me liberty or give me death," he stated in a speech on March 23,
1775, in which he explained how he viewed his patriotism differently.
"No man thinks highly than I do of patriotism ... but different
men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I
hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if,
entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to
theirs."
The
act of patriotism Patrick Henry expressed allowed for marginalized
voices to participate in a thriving democracy. However, democracy can
only begin to work when those relegated to the fringes of society can
begin to sample what others take for granted as their inalienable
right. We need more of the
patriotism Kaeperneck exhibited at NFL games — now seen on the
streets of America.
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