They said Independence Day was the 4th of July. I wanna ask the people who signed the Declaration of Independence why did you lie?
My people weren’t free on that day. Fireworks were the only light we’d seen on that day.
While the White people’s firecrackers light up the sky. Black people in captivity wanted to die.
America cheered with joy on the day it was free, but that wasn’t something negroes were gifted to see.
Juneteenth was the real gift for me. June 19, 1865 was the day my people were given liberty.
It was the day when Africans could walk away from the plantation granted emancipation.
That freedom was the greatest joy in the world. Independence for all the Black boys and girls.
Much love to those who think in an independent way. June 19, 1865, my Independence Day.
About the Creator
Joe Patterson
Hi I'm Joe Patterson. I am a writer at heart who is a big geek for film, music, and literature, which have all inspired me to be a writer. I rap, write stories both short and long, and I'm also aspiring to be an author and a filmmaker.
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Comments (3)
I wish this was taught in European schools and required a holiday stateside so that all Black persons and those who love them and honour their history could grow stronger together. Excellent Joe.
I stand with you in celebrating Juneteenth. I consider it Freedom Day. You ask important, reverent, necessary questions, Joe. The United States' independence from England (July 4th) is a cornerstone of the country's establishment (which has its own bloody origins on the backs of peoples who already populated these lands). The resulting construct of "independence" speaks only to nation-creation, and necessarily not to individuals' personal independence, emancipation, liberty, or freedom. As a woman, I would offer a revision of one of your lines: "the White people's firecrackers light up the sky". I'd change "peoples'" to "men's". But I take your point. I am in no way seeking to minimize the crucial observations you're making about slavery and the institutional, societal wrongs that continue to reverberate today. But I would be remiss were I not to note that women have been and continue to be suppressed too. Women were not allowed to vote until the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965. And it took until 1974's Equal Credit Opportunity Act to protect women's right to access to credit. And then with the overturning of Roe V. Wade... It is infuriating that governments (of mostly white men) still shove their hands in our wombs to this day. Please know that I stand with you in celebrating Juneteenth as a vital day of personal independence. There remains so much work to do.
Very well written and well-spoken too. Happy Independence Day for your personal Independence Day, which I agree, should be the official Independence Day for all of you.