A day off work, cookouts, fireworks, a day off work, family reunions, parades, a day off work! Independence Day wasn't created with me or anyone who looked like me in mind, I was not guaranteed any rights (initially) by the Declaration of Independence and my forefathers did not sit at the table next to Thomas Jefferson. So, a day off, a cookout, fireworks, a family reunion, a parade is what July 4th means to a Nigga.
I'd rather celebrate “Juneteenth” which goes largely unnoticed but is more aligned with the independence of people who look like me, or how about I celebrate Independence Day on September 22nd, the day the Emanciapation Proclamation was signed. Is April 4th a better day, did the death of Martin Luther King Jr. liberate a dormant people, who had not yet realized that they were free? How I about I commemorate it every day that I live and breathe, enjoying the fruits of the labor of millions ahead of me who knew no such freedom, but fought for it.
A celebration is a celebration for some and we know you and your cousins don't need many reasons to break out the grill, Hennessey and sour diesel, but be careful of what you're stepping in the name of. I know you don’t want to read this on your day off; while you’re cooking out, watching a parade or fireworks, at Six Flags or the beach, I’ll be trying to write my own freedom papers…
This is a classic moment that I couldn't have scripted better myself. Rene Marie, a jazz singer was invited to perform the National Anthem at the Mayor of Denver's State of the City address and that's just what she did. She performed the Black National Anthem "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing", much to the chagrin of those in attendance and those who caught word of the story. But much to my delight!
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