After reading one of the greatest speeches ever given by Frederick Douglass on July 5th, 1852, it gave me pause to think in contemporary terms. Mr. Douglass eloquently conveyed to the President and white citizens of the day, that their fore fathers who drafted the Declaration of Independence, succeeded in attaining their freedoms from Britain and were able to "reap the fruits of their success." For the Black man, these great principles of freedom soon led to the downfall of their slavery! Even today, the Black man continues to be called upon to prove his manhood in order to further define the phase "all men are created equal" and to access their God given rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness!
Comparatively speaking, in 1852 as well as in 2011, anyone who holds value to a belief of the principles of the Bible as well as, the Declaration of Independence, are without a doubt self-righteous if they do not acknowledge the existence of racial oppression, individual, structural and political racism! We continue to place blame on the victims as well as, support the distorted opinions regarding the realism of racism by turning a blind eye. What a wonderful way to avoid personal responsibility. We need to raise and hold ourselves to a higher level of personal values and standards in order to contribute to the lives of others. To accomplish this, we must begin by assessing where we are operating from in respect to our cultural identification.
When will we as a nation, retreat from the process of denial and take ownership for the need to establish policies relevant in viewing man, woman and child based upon their distinct uniqueness and cultural personhood ? This simplistic question generates convoluted opinions which are accepted by mainstream America as absolute truths and in turn, ultimately perpetuates the ongoing cycle of justifiable oppression.
During the festivities this 4th of July, take a moment to reflect inwardly and begin to examine how you may look at others, as you would wish to be looked upon. History tells us that in 1776, the first firing of fireworks was to celebrate the separation of the colonies from England and to some, it was a celebration of the "death" of the king's power over them. As you watch the full color spectrum of the fireworks displayed, ponder how interesting life would become if we celebrated the "death" of racism and the power this holds over our country. How wonderful it would be, to possess the ability in realizing all of mankind through the color reflective lens of a multicultural kaleidoscope!
God Bless America!
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=162
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