Today is July 5th. Yesterday was July 4th. Let me implore you: can black people just live?
I understand that our “melanated struggle” is never-ending in this country of counter-productive race relations culminated through capitalistic policies. And I am inspired to do better as much as you are. After watching Get Out and listening to Redbone by Childish Gambino, the sunken place is not a vacation spot; it is proverbial quicksand. Oh, and don’t forget about Colin Kaepernick being blackballed. You know, because America hates us.
But still, can black people just live?
Does every made-up-ass holiday need to be that moment where we chastise each other about something that most already know isn’t for us. Can we please just eat our food in peace? Here is a better question: how do you want your ribs? Do you like them with or without sauce? And my mom made the potato salad, so would also be partaking in that?
Those are real questions to ask on a day like July 4th.
July 5th is More Important
But that day was yesterday. Today is July 5th. So maybe we can come up with a holiday that doesn’t have to do with chastising black people for seeing their family, getting full, taking advantage of a free day from work (most people), and enjoying the fact that our collective black asses made it to see another summer. On this holiday, we don’t have to wear any ankhs or a suit and tie to show our progressive blackness. In fact, we can shake hands, be merry, and stop judging every black person that doesn’t do something historically progressive for the black collective. You know: because people need to take a break from all that pro-blackness to breathe a bit.
Let Us Celebrate July 5th
So, black people: let us have a day where we can “live”.
We already have Juneteenth out of the way for us in the previous month. And July 4th just doesn’t cut it for some. So, how about we just celebrate two days in a row (or one day for some) just to make sure we embrace each other without the extra callousness and condescension. It is 2017. We have enough of the overly mental-militarized madness coming from so many uber-African self-addressed leaders that are charlatans masking their homophobia, misogynoir, and ain’t-shittedness. And too many memes are already out there for us to stay awake despite their relativity or fact checking. So, we can designate this day as something creative and for ALL OF US.
That way, we can take a break from finger pointing, extend all them, and shake hands for once.
I would love that. Wouldn’t you?
So, what better time than the day after the Fourth of July. Let us act like a collective then creating drama nobody gives a fuck about?