a case for Fourth of July
narrowing down the scope to two historic events that are tainted with different versions of struggle: Juneteenth and Fourth of July
Welcome to The Breaking Point! I’m overwhelmed (in a good way) by your responses. That said, I didn’t expect to see 200+ subscribers in the first week — and for that, I thank you.
This newsletter is free, yes, F R E E — and if you like what you see, please feel free to forward it around. I’m a one-woman team, so the structure of this newsletter may change over time as I learn new things, but I will do my best to provide you with the best content I can.
I think we can all agree that 2020 is a lot to take in — and I hate to underscore that we’re only halfway through the year with yet a crucial presidential election looming in November. For some of us who posted our decade highlights on social media, we also desired for the new decade to be epic. But six months in, and it’s not looking so bright. If I could only put a theme to the first half of the year, it would be “struggle.”
2020 kicked off with Australia struggling through a major pyrocene. Indonesia’s sinking capital of Jakarta struggled with landslides and flooding. Meanwhile, the world is still struggling to beat a virus that magnified into a global pandemic. All of these events had unfortunate casualties. Many also struggled with navigating firings, layoffs, furloughs, and the complex unemployment applications. Asians around the world struggled with xenophobia and anti-Asian racism. Black communities near industrial facilities struggled to breathe. Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd struggled to survive and ended up murdered by white people. The trauma and struggle were then brought to the streets by the growing Black Lives Matter movement, calling for racial justice and an end to police brutality.
(Photo by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash)
But in the first edition of this newsletter, I want to narrow down the scope to two historic events that are tainted with different versions of struggle: Juneteenth and Fourth of July.
Figure of the week: 450,000
The number of low-income households who did not receive the money they were due for dependent children in their stimulus checks, according to the IRS.
Let's start with what's coming in a few days: Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day or Liberation Day — the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was approved and is now celebrated across the country, including its territories, with fireworks, pageantry, barbecues, and parades.
Back in school, Independence Day made up a large portion of my U.S. History classes. And I get it — the days leading up to the first Fourth of July were the breaking point (see what I did there?) for America’s founding fathers Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and others, which led to the ultimate break up with Great Britain. But that's just it, throughout history, we were bound to only focus on the dominant white narrative, instead of the oppressed people who literally carried the burden of this country on their shoulders. Our education system reeks with white superiority starting with our history textbooks, which is why the white colonists’ struggle for that freedom in 1776 overshadowed the actual historical struggle and erasure of Indigenous people and the enslaved.
But it’s utterly upsetting to admit that I didn’t learn many things that happened in American history such as Native American genocides or the Jim Crow era until much later. What I also don’t recall is learning about the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and his powerful 1852 Fourth of July speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” in Rochester, New York. Here are must-read excerpts from Douglass’ long, yet powerful speech:
“Fellow citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?”
“I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me.”
“This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
(Read more: Resources to understand America’s long history of injustice and inequality by The Washington Post)
The Fourth of July meant freedom only to white America. For Black America, it was the opposite. Slavery, torture, and racism were rampant. The Black struggle was long and violent. So no, not everyone was freed on July 4, 1776.
It would be almost a century later, in 1863 in the middle of a Civil War, until Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared “that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free.” But not even the Emancipation Proclamation got the job done.
Enter, Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day — the June 19th anniversary in 1865 when a Union general read aloud the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, officially freeing the last of the enslaved people two and a half years later after Lincoln signed the declaration. The delay remains a mystery, but many suspect that the enslavers purposely withheld the news to keep the enslaved working for them.
But remnants of slavery are still evident till this day and has reverberated into a generational trauma for Black people in America. It led to segregation in the Jim Crow era, racist housing practices known as “redlining,” police violence, and many other struggles.
Although Juneteenth has been around for over 100 years, unlike Fourth of July, it is still not recognized as a national holiday — but it may as well be on its way. The current rallying cry for racial justice in the aftermath of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor has formed a culture of accountability and has shined the spotlight on Juneteenth, which led to a slew of companies announcing June 19th as a holiday.
And rightfully so, because Juneteenth is the true independence day for Black folks. For them, it’s the holiday to celebrate by gathering and sharing meals. And in some cities in the South, larger events such as parades, potlucks, and festivals are held.
I, as a non-Black person of color (POC), recognize that Juneteenth isn’t my day to celebrate. Rather, it’s simply a day where I have to step back and create space for my Black brothers and sisters.
As for Fourth of July, I always recognized the holiday as a celebration for white America. Yes, I’d watch the fireworks at night, but I don’t think I ever truly felt comfortable celebrating July 4th. So before celebrating Fourth of July this weekend, give yourself time to reflect on the history and struggles that Black and Indigenous folks went through to get us where we are today.
(Read more: 1619 Project by The New York Times Magazine)
And if there’s anything we should take away during the coronavirus lockdown, it’s remembering to take care of ourselves — because we’re all needed in this fight, one way or another, to overcome the struggles for change and justice. We’re only halfway through the year, but I believe in you. You got this.
rachel ramirez
What I’m reading …
What is owed: ‘It is time for reparations’ by Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Magazine
How North Carolina Transformed Itself Into the Worst State to Be Unemployed by Ava Kofman, ProPublica
Scientists pin blame for some coronavirus deaths on air pollution, PFAS, and other chemicals by Sharon Lerner, The Intercept
Opinion: You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate Monument by Caroline Randall Williams, The New York Times
Beauty companies are changing skin-whitening products. But the damage of colorism runs deeper by yours truly, Rachel Ramirez, Vox
thanks for reading, and don’t forget to subscribe. see you next week!