We can safely say that hundreds of thousands of copies of Frederick Douglass' famous July 4th speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth to the Negro" have been circulated for the last few
days. For more years than I can remember I have distributed copies of it to friends and strangers alike. First in mimeograph form, then "xeroxed" copies and recently email and on this blog. The most powerful experience I had was when I visited my friend Horace in the VA hospital in Richmond. He had been in a terrible accident and was paralyzed from the waist down. He was unable to talk because of the tracheotomy he had undergone. I read the speech to him and we both cried. We cried because of the power and relevance of the speech and we cried because of his fate and what the future held for him. He is a brilliant brother who at the time was a small farmer, a postal worker and a member of the Black Workers for Justice.
During the last few years I have often become annoyed at receiving numerous copies of the speech from friends, political associates and list-serves. With some reflection, I rejoice at the fact that so many people are on the case as they need to be given the current state of affairs.
Today's broadcast of Democracy Now! featured a reading of this speech by the inimitable James Earl Jones-the wonderful voice. It was a segment of a powerful program devoted to Howard Zinn's People's History of the US that featured many progressive artists, including Danny Glover and Alice Walker reading excerpts. The program (audio and video) have not been posted yet but the podcast is available at iTunes. Like the former Owsu Sadaukai's rendition of Douglas' "Without Struggle, Their Can Be No Progress" was to the movement in the 1970's, this audio version may soon become the vehicle by which many hear this seminal speech in the future.
I post here a reflection on patriotism shared with us on July 4th by Chicano activist and poet, Joe Navarro. Not only is it a refreshing voice on this day for the oppressed to evaluate their relationship to the US empire but it is ever so timely given the presidential campaigns and the how patriotism is being used as a tool to challenge the Obamas. The attacks on Michelle Obama are very interesting from the point of view that they demonstrate in a huge way the acceptance of the mythology that undergrids the philosophical and historical narrative that plays in the heads of most white folks in this country. Is Ms Obama another angry Black woman? Our position is if she is not than we have to sum her up as mentally ill. In fact, any Black person who gets past five or six years old and is paying attention, just a little, knows that their are disparities, privileges and discrimination based on race.
The reality is, however, that she cannot express it and be considered one of them which the criteria for being the president of the USA or it's first lady. We understand that in this historical moment anger and what we have called a race analysis cannot be expressed or seen as even part of one's frame of reference. The Obamas have made a decision to engage the "post racial" conversation as if it was real. This is regrettable but understandable. Undoubtedly, one of Nina Simone's "Four Women resides in Michelle. What is dangerous about this whole scenario is that there is the risk that some or perhaps many African American youth will start to question their own lived experiences with racism and white supremacy. Will they wonder whether they are deficient as thinking human beings because they have not been able to see US society without the Duboisian "Color Line" that predictably survived the 20th century and is still a prominent feature of the US polity?
Navarro piece strengthens our resolve to reject patriotism and fight against national oppression, racism and white supremacy.
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A Few Thoughts on Patriotism
by Joe Navarro
Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus defines patriotism as "zealous love of one's country." As we approach the Fourth of July, a national holiday, I have been contemplating the idea of patriotism as defined here and instinctively reject the idea of having "zealous love" for this country.
Even as a child I felt that the national symbols and hymns were forced upon me in school and did not really mean anything to me. I learned to mechanically remember the pledge of allegiance, national anthem and the symbols of this country so that I would not get in trouble or ridiculed in my classroom.
As I grew older, phrases like, "liberty and justice for all," were disconnected from my own experiences in my community. As my comprehension of national and world events expanded, I learned that the words of major doctrines, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, were meant for wealthy white men, but not everyone else.
Patriotism assumes that our society is homogeneous, and is void of any recognition of class, racial, ethnic and gender differences. U.S. imperialist aggression in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are invigorated by a sense of blind patriotism, where Americans uncritically support whatever the U.S. government wants. Patriotism is a combination of vague ideals and selective amnesia, which is rooted in ignorance. In schools, from the media and press, and official government reports we are fed a distorted history, lies and heavy doses of propaganda.
During the current invasion and occupation of Iraq, people finally started to make the connection between the overwhelming propaganda to justify an unjust invasion on the one hand and U.S. corporate interests to control petroleum, and sack Iraq's economy by hiring wealthy corporations to rebuild Iraq on the other.
This questioning of the real interests of the Iraq invasion has caused the Bush Administration to restrict democratic rights of U.S. citizens and non-citizens. Eavesdropping on people's email and phone calls, to increasing suspicion of immigrants, to denying people due-process under the law, based on ethnicity are all threats to democracy in America.
In my lifetime, the U.S. military and CIA have been involved in invading Southeast Asia, Nicaragua, Panama, supported a successful military coup in Chile, an unsuccessful coup in Venezuela (to name a few) and countless other military actions in the world.
Domestically, there is a long tradition of the U.S. military attacking people for the benefit of the wealthy elite. In addition to the enslavement of Africans, genocide against Native Americans, theft of Mexican territories, occupation of the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico and other people's lands; the U.S. government has attacked workers of all nationalities who fought for better working conditions and the right to unionize; has kept women's status economically and politically below men; has maintained a system of hatred and bigotry against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons; and people of color still are treated as second class citizens culturally, politically and economically.
Historically, every step of progress of this nation has benefited the smallest, most elite sector of this society. Oil barons, industrialists, investment bankers, real estate giants, agribusiness, Wall Street traders, corporate CEOs, weapons manufacturers are the silent partners of this nation, who through their wealth and influence, benefit from oppression and wars.
How can one demonstrate "zealous love" for this tradition? As an American citizen, who is also a Native American and Chicano, I prefer to celebrate the heroes who have resisted and opposed oppression domestically and internationally.
Instead, I honor African slaves who rebelled against slavery, and white abolitionists who dedicated their lives to end the barbarism; I celebrate the original people of this land who fought and resisted genocide and the Mexicans who battled against a mighty military force to defend their lands from a brutal annexation; I admire the women who have tireless fought for women's rights to vote, for reproductive choice and for equality; I honor Chinese, Japanese and other Asian immigrants who have survived and resisted severe racism, ostracism and unlawful incarceration; I celebrate civil rights and human rights activists who marched, protested and fought for equality in education, employment, housing and healthcare, and expanded democracy; I honor people who strive to uncover the truth about this nation and peace activists who protest in the streets to let the world know that imperialist aggression is not supported by everyone.
So, on the Fourth of July, I will not be a blindfolded flag waving patriot. I will honor and celebrate all the people who have fought (and died) to defend people from oppression and who worked to expand democracy in America.
