Source: kali9 / Getty Every July 4th, my social media feed fills up with a predictable wash of red, white, and blue. Last year, one image had me pause a little longer than all of the others. It was a photograph of a white friend’s daughter, smiling brightly and proudly gripping a small American flag. […]
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Source: Gemth / Getty As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its independence, we have to ask a more honest question: What, exactly, are we celebrating? In online conversations about this anniversary, you can clearly see the divide. Some people approach July 4th with deep patriotism, seeing it as a symbol of national […]
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Douglass confronted the contradiction between America’s ideals and the reality of slavery for millions of Black people. Source: Photo 12 / Getty – Frederick Douglass’ Fourth Of July speech. For many Americans, the Fourth of July is synonymous with fireworks, backyard barbecues, and celebrating the nation’s independence. For many Black families, the holiday is also […]
Read MoreSource: Brandon Bell / Getty In 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the members of his state’s Department of Education rejected an Advanced Placement course covering African American Studies, which they justified by claiming the course “significantly lacks educational value,” by which they meant it was of no value to white people who would rather stick their heads in […]
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Source: Anadolu / Getty Somewhere in the afterlife, the ancestors are sitting at a long mahogany table. Harriet Tubman has her arms folded like she already knows this meeting is about to be stupid. Frederick Douglass is rubbing his temples the way you do when you realize you escaped slavery just for people to still […]
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