As America Celebrates “Independence”, Our Communities Are Under Violent Attack

I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” Excerpt from Frederick Douglass in his speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”

We are in a moment where we have a white supremacist regime that is hell bent on creating chaos, hijacking the government, robbing the people’s purse and building a fascist future. They desire to get this country back to pre-1864. Trump and his billionaire bros are setting us up to be at their mercy. They are attempting to make our daily lives impossible and are using violence in an effort to determine our destinies. They want us to believe that it is our fate to cower and comply with their demands for total control over the people and the planet. 

What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? -Excerpt from Frederick Douglass in his speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”

We are experiencing an orchestrated assault on all of our communities. The Trump regime’s anti-Black actions include defunding historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs),  rolling back diversity initiatives, and detaining and deporting Black immigrants. Trump has made it his mission to make it unsafe for transgender people, especially trans youth. By gutting asylum, this regime forces LGBTQ+ Black migrants into deadly peril within the US, at the border, and in home countries. They continue to attack reproductive rights, leading to death and  Black women are once more used as incubators. By defunding healthcare, they endanger the lives of the most vulnerable among us, including people with disabilities, seniors, children, and particularly those who are poor. 

This administration’s actions make all Black people vulnerable to harm. We must  come together as a community and keep each other safe. We need to be more vigilant in looking out for each other and be intentional about being in community with one another.  We need to watch people’s kids, check in on elders and people with disabilities, and  make sure that people’s  basic needs are being met. We need to set up susus –  mutual aid pods in our social circles, religious institutions and with trusted neighbors –  to raise funds to meet the challenges that our communities are facing. We must also prepare to physically protect  people  being assaulted amd attacked. Lastly and importantly, let’s get to know our neighbors and our neighborhood to know who to trust and to create and hold safe spaces. 

Please join BAJI in our determination to continue to fight for the world we deserve and the world we imagine. We know that we will win!