The Fourth of July celebration reveals persistent contradictions between the ideals of American democracy and the realities faced by Black, brown and Indigenous communities. Racial disparities, segregation, and selective rights remain prevalent, reflecting the hypocrisy of liberty celebrated while millions were historically enslaved. Current federal actions demonstrate a hostility towards discussions of race, further dismantling hard-won civil rights. This erosion affects all individuals, leading to a loss of trust in democratic institutions. The response to these challenges must be grassroots, emphasizing active community engagement to realize true freedom and democracy.
Black, brown and Indigenous communities have always seen the gap between the ideals of American democracy and the lived reality of exclusion. The contradiction is far from new.
Today, those contradictions persist in enduring racial disparities and policies that perpetuate segregation, second-class citizenship and selective protection of rights.
Each day brings new signs of an anti-democratic campaign eroding civil rights, stoking racial division and weaponizing law to silence dissent and disempower communities.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. It is built and rebuilt by people who show up in their communities, workplaces, schools and congregations, determined to make freedom real.
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