Nah. I’m Good on July 4th.
Because, what are we really celebrating?
The Fourth of July has never been something to be celebrated by us, but we was doin’ it. Our Independence Day is Juneteenth.
And when I say “we” and “our”, I mean Black and Brown people. For me, like Thanksgiving, July 4th is a colonizer holiday that has become an opportunity (and an additional day off) for people to gather with friends and family, spend quality time, play games, and break bread. If you look at the history and the meaning behind the holiday, you’d know that back in 1776, Black people were still enslaved. The Declaration of Independence didn’t see “us” as people, and the benefits it offered were not intended for us. So I’ve always wondered: why do so many of us still go all in for the Fourth?
This year, the “holiday” feels especially fraudulent. People will be grillin’ and chillin’ while ICE raids are happening, concentration camps are being built, the Big Beautiful Bill just passed, health care and SNAP benefits for millions are cancelled, DEI has become the enemy…I mean, if you’ve been paying attention, then you know all the things. AmeriKKKa is not AmeriKKKa’ing the way it used to. The 2025 USA reboot is louder, bolder, and nastier this time around.
Don’t get it twisted, there’s always been injustice and people fighting back for what’s right, and there have always been issues with the government and who’s in charge. But what we are dealing with right now is appalling. It is giving a Dystopian Nightmare on Elm Street. I’ve lived through many shady administrations, but this current gaggle of government officials? Hands down, the worst I’ve ever seen.
And while I do want to support my friends and their July 4th programming, and I do want to create space for folks to gather, break bread, and kick back…this dark-ass cloud hanging over the country’s future makes it hard to fake the July 4th funk this year.
Celebrate if you want to, but there will be no Stars and Stripes, and I’m not throwing on any red, white, and blue this year. I am strictly holding space for truth, intention, and community. If you’re on the fence about raising your glass this July 4th, you’re not alone. What I will say is, if you do decide to grill and chill, don’t lose sight of what’s going on. If you’re planning a gathering, make it count. Feed people, build community, and spark the kind of conversations that truly liberate them. Our freedoms have never been free. And it damn sure wasn’t granted on the Fourth.
My advice for tomorrow: rest, reflect, recharge—but stay ready.