- Feb 9, 2001
- 7,136
- 2,071
What do you think about the following article?
__________________________
CAMERON TURNER: Black Flag-waving on the 4th
"The forefathers of this country were,
essentially, a militia. Our American flag was
designed as an anti-imperialist symbol against
Great Britain. The freedom of speech that we
enjoy in this country was specifically designed
in order that it be incumbent on Americans to
stand up in the face of what someone might
perceive as an egregious injustice and say,
'No! Wait a minute! Stop!' That is ultimately
patriotic!" -- Will Smith (during interviews
for the film “Ali”)
The 4th of July is a complicated holiday
for black folks. A lot of us think it’s insulting
or naïve to celebrate Independence Day
considering all the racist oppression (a lot
of it government-sponsored) that’s been dumped
on us throughout American history. So, the last
thing some black folks would ever think of doing
is flying the flag proudly on the 4th of July, or
on any other day for that matter. I certainly
empathize with that point of is view but, after
looking at the issue from a lot of different angles,
I have decided that flying the flag is a good
thing for black folks to do * for three basic
reasons which I’d like to run past you now.
The first and simplest of these motives
is that the flag belongs to us, because America
belongs to us. Racists want the world to believe
that the United States was built and made great
entirely by white men. But we know better.
The U.S. has always been racially and ethnically
diverse and the countless contributions by men
and women of color -- on all levels of society * have
defined this nation from the very beginning. Our
blood, sweat and tears, our intellect, ingenuity
and joy are integral parts of the American
historical and cultural fabric. So, no matter
what anybody tries to say, the United States
is, has always been and forever will be
our country!
My second reason for displaying the flag
is that it symbolizes the ideals stated in the
Declaration of Independence and the laws
codified in the Constitution -- the two great
documents which were crucial to our struggle
for freedom inside the “Land of the Free.” The
righteous battles for civil rights were fought through
boycotts, marches, sit-ins and voter registration
campaigns. But, ultimately, our victories over
segregation and discrimination were secured
in the federal courts where heroes like NAACP
lawyer Thurgood Marshall used the U.S.
Constitution to overturn one racist law
after another.
Cameron has MORE at EURweb.com:
http://eurweb.com/articles/columns/07012004/columns1517107012004.cfm
________________________________
Aaahhhh...I bet you never knew that the US flag belonged to you just as much as it does to white people? See, if you live long enough, you're bound to learn something new.
So, whose gonna fly that flag this weekend?
Queenie
__________________________
CAMERON TURNER: Black Flag-waving on the 4th
"The forefathers of this country were,
essentially, a militia. Our American flag was
designed as an anti-imperialist symbol against
Great Britain. The freedom of speech that we
enjoy in this country was specifically designed
in order that it be incumbent on Americans to
stand up in the face of what someone might
perceive as an egregious injustice and say,
'No! Wait a minute! Stop!' That is ultimately
patriotic!" -- Will Smith (during interviews
for the film “Ali”)
The 4th of July is a complicated holiday
for black folks. A lot of us think it’s insulting
or naïve to celebrate Independence Day
considering all the racist oppression (a lot
of it government-sponsored) that’s been dumped
on us throughout American history. So, the last
thing some black folks would ever think of doing
is flying the flag proudly on the 4th of July, or
on any other day for that matter. I certainly
empathize with that point of is view but, after
looking at the issue from a lot of different angles,
I have decided that flying the flag is a good
thing for black folks to do * for three basic
reasons which I’d like to run past you now.
The first and simplest of these motives
is that the flag belongs to us, because America
belongs to us. Racists want the world to believe
that the United States was built and made great
entirely by white men. But we know better.
The U.S. has always been racially and ethnically
diverse and the countless contributions by men
and women of color -- on all levels of society * have
defined this nation from the very beginning. Our
blood, sweat and tears, our intellect, ingenuity
and joy are integral parts of the American
historical and cultural fabric. So, no matter
what anybody tries to say, the United States
is, has always been and forever will be
our country!
My second reason for displaying the flag
is that it symbolizes the ideals stated in the
Declaration of Independence and the laws
codified in the Constitution -- the two great
documents which were crucial to our struggle
for freedom inside the “Land of the Free.” The
righteous battles for civil rights were fought through
boycotts, marches, sit-ins and voter registration
campaigns. But, ultimately, our victories over
segregation and discrimination were secured
in the federal courts where heroes like NAACP
lawyer Thurgood Marshall used the U.S.
Constitution to overturn one racist law
after another.
Cameron has MORE at EURweb.com:
http://eurweb.com/articles/columns/07012004/columns1517107012004.cfm
________________________________
Aaahhhh...I bet you never knew that the US flag belonged to you just as much as it does to white people? See, if you live long enough, you're bound to learn something new.
So, whose gonna fly that flag this weekend?
Queenie