1/7
“The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity & independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me… This 4th [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn,” Fredrick Douglass wrote in 1852, when slavery was still going strong.
“The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity & independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me… This 4th [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn,” Fredrick Douglass wrote in 1852, when slavery was still going strong.
2/7
Today, 152 years later, we don't have slavery, yet Douglass’ words about the “rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity & independence” sadly still resonate with so many Black Americans. The holiday highlights the depth of inequality in a way not felt since the 1960s.
Today, 152 years later, we don't have slavery, yet Douglass’ words about the “rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity & independence” sadly still resonate with so many Black Americans. The holiday highlights the depth of inequality in a way not felt since the 1960s.
3/7
We are in unprecedented time of social upheaval, where even our longest-standing institutions face a moment of reckoning. Some see that reckoning as a threat to America’s traditions & way of life. I think it’s a rare opportunity to create a more perfect union. #velshi
We are in unprecedented time of social upheaval, where even our longest-standing institutions face a moment of reckoning. Some see that reckoning as a threat to America’s traditions & way of life. I think it’s a rare opportunity to create a more perfect union. #velshi
4/7
A few weeks ago, I shared that “none of us are free if one of us is chained.” Slavery continued in America for almost 90 years after independence & for long after the Civil War, America nurtured policies that did not live up to the creed that “all men are created equal.”
A few weeks ago, I shared that “none of us are free if one of us is chained.” Slavery continued in America for almost 90 years after independence & for long after the Civil War, America nurtured policies that did not live up to the creed that “all men are created equal.”
5/7
For many African Americans, the 4th of July is a celebration of a nation that profited from slavery. We haven’t been absolved of that sin. We can’t claim America’s grand ideals have been achieved when Black people are still denied access to liberty, prosperity & justice.
For many African Americans, the 4th of July is a celebration of a nation that profited from slavery. We haven’t been absolved of that sin. We can’t claim America’s grand ideals have been achieved when Black people are still denied access to liberty, prosperity & justice.
6/7
I’m sure Frederick Douglass, if he were here today, would argue there's no need to “cancel” the 4th of July. But there is a need to fulfill its promise & finally grow into the country that he, a man born enslaved, believed America could be. #velshi
I’m sure Frederick Douglass, if he were here today, would argue there's no need to “cancel” the 4th of July. But there is a need to fulfill its promise & finally grow into the country that he, a man born enslaved, believed America could be. #velshi
7/7
A light is now being cast onto all of us & as Douglass said on this day, 168 years ago, “No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light.” #velshi
A light is now being cast onto all of us & as Douglass said on this day, 168 years ago, “No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light.” #velshi
