By Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew
As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July with family, food, and festivities, it’s tempting to view the day solely as a chance for rest and relaxation, overlooking its deeper significance.
Many of us may recall the movie “Independence Day,” which depicted the heroic efforts of Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum to thwart an alien takeover.
While the prospect of an actual alien invasion is not an imminent concern, we must be vigilant against a different type of invasion – a spiritual and mental one we are currently witnessing.
We observe many Americans who fail to recognize the connection between our history and the challenges we face today. By neglecting to learn from the past, we risk missing out on opportunities to make meaningful changes that can shape our future.
The Fourth of July holds a complex significance for Black Americans. This national holiday, also known as Independence Day, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. However, despite the nation’s liberation from British rule, Black people in the United States were still enslaved at that time.
For many, the year 1619 marks the recognized arrival of Africans in America. On August 20, 1619, the first documented group of 20 to 30 enslaved Africans reached the British colony of Virginia. These Africans had been captured from Angola in West Central Africa by the Portuguese.
However, further research indicates that before 1619, “Hundreds of thousands of Africans, both free and enslaved, assisted in establishing and sustaining colonies in the Americas and the New World. They also resisted European oppression….”
According to Linda Heywood and John Thornton, professors at Boston University and co-authors of the book “Central Africans, Atlantic Creoles and the Foundation of the Americas, 1585-1660,” assert that “there were significant numbers who were brought in as early as 1526.”
In 1776, approximately 500,000 African Americans re- sided in the American colonies, with 90% of them enslaved. During the American Revolution, many free Black individuals in the North fought alongside the colonists, while enslaved African Americans in the South fled to the British in exchange for their liberty to join the fight.
In total, around 5,000 Black soldiers and sailors, both free and enslaved, served in the Revolutionary cause.
Since the beginning of our presence in this nation, Black people have persistently pursued freedom and equality.
The prominent abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered a keynote speech in 1852 at an Independence Day celebration in Rochester, New York. In his address, Douglass posed the pointed question, “What does the Fourth of July mean to the slave?”
Douglass’s speech was a scathing critique, in which he declared, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
Over 170 years later, we’ve seen significant advancements for Black people in this country, yet we’re now witnessing many hard-won rights being challenged and disputed.
Our history is being removed from school curriculums. Opportunities that could create workplace and business equity are being fought against and eliminated.
As we celebrate, we can’t forget our history or ignore the ongoing battles for freedom around us.
We must also recognize that as Believers, even though we live in this world, we cannot act like the world. We are called to a higher purpose – to be a light. The Bible tells us that we do not belong to this world, but have been chosen out of it. (John 15:18-19)
Our freedom is more than just doing what we want; we must consider what is truly beneficial. (1 Corinthians 6:12) We are not merely citizens of this country, but citizens of heaven, living for our eternal home with God.
As you observe the 4th, take time to reflect on our history, what it means to be a citizen of this nation, and what it signifies to be a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. Focus on safeguarding liberty and emancipation AND on genuinely living a life that is pleasing to God.
The freedom we enjoy hasn’t come without a price in our earthly journey, and there is a cost associated with the freedom found in heaven.
Count the cost!
Dr. Froswa’ Booker Drew Founder, Reconciliation and Restoration Foundation President, Soulstice Consultancy, drfroswabooker.com email: info@drfroswa.com
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