No.
However, because a one-word article won’t cut it, let’s dig into this topic, sharing both specific reasons why Blacks should not now or ever celebrate the 4th of July and why some Blackfolk, for whatever reason, argue that we must celebrate the day and the “values” it represents.
Let’s start with the folk who are dead wrong.
BLACKS SHOULD CELEBRATE THE 4th OF JULY
Our Identity is American
I don’t think I could ever fully hate America because it is all that I have. I want to put an emphasis on fully because that is the key word in the sentiment. I’m not dumb, I well know that America is a racist, broken, unfair, bully of a nation that was in no way built for me and actively tries to oppress and kill me on a daily basis, but as a Black American I have nothing to fall back on… the fact of the matter is I grew up with American traditions and values… My identity and my world view is that of an American. (Tre Vayne; writer, content creator, comedian, “Why I Still Celebrate the Fourth of July as a Black American”)
We Built This
Yes, I use it as another day to honor the ancestors and all that we have sacrificed for this country, as well as imagine/conjure/manifest what we want this country to be. Plus, family. Always celebrate family. (Monica Evans Antonio)
Use the Day to Crusade for Equality
Since the very beginning, Black Americans have used the national celebration of the country’s independence on July 4 to remind white Americans that they too deserved freedom and that their lives also mattered. Celebrating this tradition of black protest is essential today as the nation grapples with policing, violence and racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death… Black Americans have always populated the celebrations, using these moments to reimagine America as a better nation cleansed of slavery and racism. (Jonathan Lande, assistant professor of history, Purdue University, “The Fourth of July is a Black American Holiday”)
Where Are the Christian Values?
Every Christian should ask this question over every nationally observed holiday and make sure that they are celebrating the good in it or the good that CAN be in it, if there is any good that can be celebrated in a national holiday. (Howard Lee Thomas III)
Last year, our nephew suggested we exchange July 4 with Juneteenth. Some of us celebrated Juneteenth, and I believe more of our family will next year. We will do July 4 this year. If the Lord blesses and spares me, I might stop celebrating July 4 and Thanksgiving. Still, I think Juneteenth and the Fourth both can be celebrated as long as we know how tenuous our freedom is. (Trinidad Baptiste)
BLACKS SHOULD NOT CELEBRATE THE 4th OF JULY
America Was Not Truly Free
We celebrate this day as the day America was free, but America would not truly be free until June 19th, 1865, when slaves were emancipated. My American Creed is that we should not celebrate July 4th, or at least not celebrate it as the day that America was free. In 1776 it is estimated that 200,000 African Americans were still in slavery. (Laila S, Project Citizen, “Why to not celebrate the 4th of July”)
Just Say No to the Hypocrisy
Nah, I’m good. Once I began the journey of truth-confirming, I stopped celebrating many things. (Dorothy SunshyneGonzales Jones)
No Equity, No 4th
I don’t think “Black” folks should subscribe to or participate in any facet of American society until comprehensive reform that amounts to “equity” occurs in America. That requires us to be self-determined. A people that is dependent on an oppressive system don’t have a damned thing to celebrate except birthdays. (Sentwali Olushola)
I enjoy the day off, however I don’t celebrate the country being “free from tyranny” all the while “Merica” was getting free labor off the whipped backs of my ancestors. (Claudell Cannady)
What, to the American [enslaved], is your Fourth of July? I answer: A day that reveals to him, more than all other days of the year, the gross injustices and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham… This Fourth of July is your, not mine. You may rejoice. I must mourn.” (Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” keynote address, July 5, 1852).
