In search of that more perfect union
Brand New Congress is fighting for the nation we must yet become.
By Ron Stubblefield
In honor of the 4th of July in 1852, Frederick Douglass, one of this nation’s finest orators, penned these words into the annals of American history:
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.”
To truly understand Frederick Douglass’ words, we need to juxtapose them against the American Creed, a summation of the principles for which this nation stands. The Creed reads as follows:
“I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.”
In sharing the perspective of those who had nothing left to lose but their chains, Frederick Douglass was highlighting the failings of our nation to live up to the values and virtues now espoused in our Creed. He did not do this to divide a nation. Frankly, our nation was already divided the moment those with the power to hold others in bondage based on race continually decided to do so. Rather, it was his love for his people, love for his nation, and his belief that America was capable of being better that inspired these words. These words were stated to hold this nation accountable for failing to live up to the principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity that we celebrate today, hypocritically, as our calling card.
Today, on July 4th, 2018, we are still falling short of the principles for which American patriots, including those of color, sacrificed their lives and fortunes. In 2018, like in 1852, we still have people legally held in slavery via mass incarceration and the prison-industrial complex. In 2018, like in 1852, families are being separated with immense barriers to ever again becoming reunited. In 2018, like in 1852, people are subject to law enforcement officers determining their right to be deemed free without due process of law and without being provided any access to counsel. In 2018, like in 1852, people, including children, are still being locked in cages. In 2018, like in 1852, courts are still ruling people don’t have a right to access to being taught literacy. In 2018, like in 1852, the residents of predominantly black and brown neighborhoods and jurisdictions are still denied access to basic necessities, such as clean water, decent housing, decent education, and decent healthcare, and decent food . In 2018, like in 1852, many people still place sacraments and the desire for comfort through order over the lives and pleas of the oppressed and their quest for justice and humane treatment.
In 2018, like in 1852, the pervasive power of racism still reigns supreme. Black and brown people are still not afforded the full measure of human decency and dignity that come from respecting a person’s right to freedom, equality, justice, and humanity. In 2018, like in 1852, black people are still suffering from the ills of slavery and Jim Crown due to denial of amends and equity. This impact is seen in the ongoing struggles with voting rights, housing policy, health care access, the education system, the wage gap, discriminatory policing, policy brutality, and draconian laws from the War on Drugs that truly should be renamed a War on Black Humanity. As long as this structural underpinning of this nation is not truly addressed, this country will always be half of what it could be and none of what it should be-and that is truly exception without hypocrisy. This is deeper than one President in the White House. This goes to the very fabric of this nation that allowed this state of affairs to continue and intensify while electing our current President.
Many years ago at a rally, a news reporter asked me what led me to protest. I told her then that I still firmly believe in the promise of this country, otherwise I would not protest. Years later, these words are still near and true to me. The greatest act of patriotism one can engage in is exercising our constitutional freedoms to hold this nation accountable for failing to live up to its signified ideals. These freedoms are premised on political engagement, not with the majoritarian view, but with dissent from the status quo when the basic rights and humanity of the minority are at stake.
At this very hour, the rights and humanity of the poor, black and brown people, women, children, LGBTQIA+, and the disabled- all of whom have served and sacrificed as American patriots-are at risk. Addressing the troublesome fabric underpinning this nation that creates this risk cannot come from faux unity under a big tent. A big tent must accept all to be sure. However, it must do so with understanding the fundamental premise of our coalition must be less concerned with economic common ground and more concerned with equitably recognizing, protecting, and advancing our common humanity as we move to moral higher ground. Otherwise, the patriotic sacrifices of all were made in vain. We need radical leadership that is ready and willing to ensure these sacrifices were not in vain. This is done by fighting for the unhypocritical application of our Creed towards all people, as opposed continuing America’s present and immoral caste system rooted in unearned power and privilege.
This is what drives BNC, our candidates, our founders, our platform, our volunteers, and our supporters this 4th of July. This is why BNC stands for Criminal Justice Reform, Women’s Rights, Voting Rights, LGBTQIA Rights, Immigration Reform, Veterans Rights, Education, and Racial Justice. We do so because we are driven by a simple vision; a nation that fully lives up to the promise of its Creed. We hope you join us in our quest to perfect a more perfect union by bringing this vision into fruition.
Ron Stubblefield is a Fellow with the NYC Department of Small Business Services, focused on economic development. He volunteers with Brand New Congress by contributing to platform and policy development and commenting on the issues that matter to voters.
