Monday, September 28, 2009

Who should celebrate the fourth of July?

This Blog was written on July 4, 2007 in response to an article in the Charlotte Observer (original article is posted below).......

Yesterday on the Keith Larson Show 1110am WBT radio Keith read excerpts from an article in the Charlotte Observer Titled "Ignored by the Declaration" What are America's African Americans celebrating July 4th?

As an educated African American this article bothered me, so went back to read the article for myself(which is linked below) to gain a better understanding of where the author William Blackburn was going with this. My opinion is that we as African Americans do have something to celebrate.
My First point:
I agree that slavery was wrong, it was terrible what our ancestors went through being forced here against their will. However, I am so tired of African Americans that continue to dwell on the past. African Americans were not the only ones that suffered from the injustice's of the past. Christopher Columbus did not discover America, he and his people invaded and conquered America when the Indians populated this land. That's injustice. Our race was not the only enslaved. What about the Holocaust, the Jewish people who were enslaved to be killed. What about slavery in Asia like the Mui Tasi system where poor parents sold their children for food, a legal practice in Hong Kong. The list goes on! My Point is Africans were not the only ones enslaved. Lets focus on what we can do today for the present and our future's. We had a guest on the K.L. show a couple of months ago named Larry Womble he is a North Carolina State representative and former educator who is fighting to pass a bill that would allow research of the involvement of N.C. businesses and slave trade. How does that help us today? He claims it is just for educational purposes. Because as he put it "Education is the most powerfuless thing we have." Is powerfuless even a word? Does he want reparations from those businesses? In my opinion the whole thing is pointless. Stop wasting my tax dollars. Leaders should be doing something about today's problems particularly in the black communities if they want to be proactive. Young black males in American ghetto's need positive role models and guidance not to be looked down on as if they are a lost cause. How can one sense their worth if they are treated worthless? (I'll save that for another blog) There are many black people who have pursued a quest for success and have achieved their goals as American's.

My Second point:
Know some HISTORY or at least research!!! Especially when you publish things for the public. The Declaration of Independence was written to England to declare the thirteen colonies later known as the United States of America were independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain. It had nothing to do with slavery. At that point in history slaves were considered property and had no rights. So if they were not considered citizens how could they have been overlooked as citizen's? Think about that Mr. Blackburn!

The topic of ending slavery was not raised until 1865 in the Thirteenth amendment to the United States Constitution when Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation!

Slavery is still practiced today in other countries, we have children laborers in Sudan, India, Haiti, Pakistan, etc... Woman are still being raped and used as concubines.

I THANK GOD that I am an American, born in the USA. I have freedoms that many people are still fighting for and still dying for. I have the rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" Thanks to the Declaration of Independence and the good fight of my ancestors!

Angela Walters (Ansun)

Original Article....

Purpose of Declaration of Independence

Ignored by the Declaration What are America's African Americans celebrating July 4th?

WILLIAM BLACKBURN

Special to the Observer

The Fourth of July is upon us and with it will come cookouts, fireworks and the spending of money that will make business owners very happy. Think Wal-Mart, Home Depot, grocery stores and gas stations aren't ecstatic about the cash that will be blown so millions around the country can eat, drink and be merry? The day is supposed to be about America declaring its independence from the British in 1776. But that celebration is clearly overshadowed by the red, white and blue commercialism that has taken over. It's blinded most into believing what's on the grill is the most important part of the day.

Such misguided behavior is prevalent across racial lines. But just because millions do it doesn't make it right. As an African American, my biggest question is: What is it exactly that I'm celebrating? The Declaration of Independence signed on July 4, 1776, stated in part that "All men are created equal." It says they are endowed by their creator with certain "unalienable rights." Among these rights are "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." However, slaves weren't officially freed until the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The Declaration did nothing to improve the lives of slaves.

Did slaves slip their minds?

Nowhere in the Declaration is there anything outlawing the sale of slaves. It must have slipped their minds, even though several of the signers were slave owners and their slaves were probably milling about as the men discussed and signed the document. In other words, the well-being and release of slaves was not what America had in mind when it was declaring freedom on July 4th. Yet every year, African Americans join others in shelling out millions of dollars to participate in a celebration that was never intended for them. Ouch!In a speech to an antislavery society in 1852, the fugitive slave Frederick Douglass said, "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."

We don't count

These are biting words that still ring true today if we as a society are honest with ourselves. When America declared its independence from the stronghold of Britain, it was the ultimate act of bravery and freedom. The country would no longer be oppressed and enslaved to the British ways and could and would stand on her own. That is a powerful statement under any circumstances and one that African Americans have failed to make.

We continue to celebrate a holiday in which an entire race of people and the inhumane conditions they endured were overlooked and ignored. This is not to demean the historical significance of the Constitution, signed in 1787, because it was a great event for white America, but it did little for slaves.

George Washington, the country's first president, was a slave owner who refused to allow slaves in the army during the Revolutionary War until the British started enlisting them. Fifty-six white men, slave owners among them -- including its writer and our third president, Thomas Jefferson -- signed a document on the Fourth of July that gave unlimited freedom to white folks and in essence prolonged government-sanctioned slavery for another 89 years. And to this we eat ribs and potato salad and dance and revel when the biggest winners are merchants? The constant losers have been the African Americans who are unaware of what the holiday really stands for.

If freedom had been acheived, then discrimination in housing, education and voting rights would not be a big issue. If independence had been achieved, then a man would not be shot by the police while reaching for his wallet. If African Americans had the rights that this day should afford, then the jails would not be running over with black males.

Freedom is about more than being able to sit at a nice restaurant. Freedom is about being able to purchase land and build your own restaurant and establish your own rules of service. It's about having something to celebrate on the Fourth of July, because what the history books tell you to celebrate doesn't include your ancestors.

So how could it include you?

William Blackburn

Observer community columnist William Blackburn works for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Write him c/o The Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308, or at williamhblackburn@yahoo.com .

A little bit about Ansun

Hello,
This is my first entry at blogger. I have a bunch of topics, stories and travel experiences to share with you. I love to write, it all started when I was two years old. I used to draw bird lines (they looked something like this... /\/\) in a small notebook and then pretend to read them to my mother. She told me I made up some interesting stories back then; so not much has changed over the years.
I am a radio producer and an airline employee. So I have a pretty interesting life. My main focus here is to share my travel experiences. I travel quite often and enjoy finding local hometown places to eat. The majority of places I visit have pocket friendly prices because I love a bargain. I also plan to share some of my thoughts on general topics that affect everyday life including news topics. Last but not least I occasionally write poems and plan to share some of those with you as well.
Most of my work is just for fun. This is just a hobby for me but I'd like to think I'd make a darn good Travel Reporter! You be the judge! See ya soon. Hope you enjoy my Blog!!!!