(ThyBlackMan.com) Every 4th of July most Americans celebrate Independence Day. Yet in 1776 clearly our people as African Americans were not independent, but rather slaves for years to come. That brings up the question of whether or not African Americans should celebrate the 4th of July. Many of our people are looking hard at the facts of this holiday. Others are saying that digging too deep is a problem because today we are all Americans. And yet others could care less either way because to them the holiday means barbecues and a 3 day weekend. So how should we as a people look at the 4th of July?
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How you see the 4th of July should be based on how you organize and prioritize the elements of your identity. Who or what are you first and foremost? If you consider yourself an American first, then celebrate America’s independence. If you regard yourself as AFRICAN first then American and you see African Americans 
regarded as second class citizens, mistreated, oppressed and disproportionately targeted for oppression even today, you may not want to celebrate the 4th of July. If you just want a 3 day weekend, barbecues, pool parties, fireworks and/or alcohol so you could care less about the depth of this issue, you are probably destined to celebrate and I am surprised you are even taking the time to read this article. Either way, this article is not an attempt to tell you what to think, but rather an effort to make you think – especially about why you do what you do.
Those African Americans who believe we should not celebrate the holiday have both a strong and a valid argument. Our people were not free in 1776 so why are we celebrating Independence Day? For whom? Likely the celebration is for a bunch of renegades who were considered traitors from England – imperialists, expansionistic invaders who stole land, infected, tricked and killed its indigenous people and enslaved countless numbers of Africans to build this “great nation”.
The Declaration of Independence is an interesting document, forged while African Americans were not even regarded as fully human. I find that ironic in light of Caucasian history in the Caucus mountains and their Neanderthal connection. But that’s another discussion for another time. I also find it ironic and hypocritical that invaders would celebrate their independence while denying the independence of thousands of other people (African Americans).
Some make the argument that all of this is too deep. That we should not make everything a racial issue. That we are thinking too hard on this issue. Hmmm. I recently read articles where Jewish people made similar comments before Hitler took over Germany and fried them in ovens. If you think we are going too deep, maybe you are not going deep enough. If you say “let it go because we are all Americans now and none of us who are alive today were actually ever slaves”, I say to you that you might just be a slave and not even know it. Your thinking might just be neutralized into a cave of denial that even further neutralizes your actions.
Are we Americans legally? Yes. Are we treated with the equality and respect that key American documents, court systems and laws proclaim? Ask Eric Garner. Ask Sandra Bland. Ask Michael Brown. Ask Samuel Dubose. Ask Kevin Davis. Ask Freddie Gray. Oops, you can’t ask them because they, like many others, are all dead. If we are treated like and accepted as Americans, we should celebrate like Americans. But while there is institutional, political, judicial, economic and sociological racism, oppression and Eugenic extermination, it’s hard to feel the “greatness” of America. So I ask you, while mental slavery, emasculation, police brutality, mass incarceration and the Crow/Lynche ideology still exists, can African Americans declare our independence?
Finally there is the group who could care less. Those of our people who simply want a barbecue, a 3 day weekend and fireworks. This is a very valid argument in the mind of the African American who thinks this way. Kind of a “don’t worry – be happy” attitude. And while I can understand the perspective, I offer a word of caution . It is true we don’t want to or should not have to always go looking for snakes under every rock, racist agendas in every holiday or poison in every pot of KoolAid. But when the land is guaranteed to be full of snakes, the holidays are created by invaders with agendas and the KoolAid is made by those who have shown they cannot be trusted with the ingredients, you have to wake up and realize what is happening.
Let me leave you with this, if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. Whatever you refuse to see as a big deal or a weapon against you (and your thinking) is exactly what your enemies will use because you would never expect them to. If you believe only the best while denying the worse exists, you lack the balance needed to see reality as things really are. And if you think its easier to go to sleep on issues such as this, just remember the deer at the stream that is not paying attention will be the first victim of the lion approaching him from behind.
Staff Writer; Marque-Anthony
