"In the Words of Mr. Franklin, Part 1", OUAT's Oral History Series

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Celebrate Responsibly, Happy Independence Day!

OUAT Blog for July 4th

Eat, drink and make merry this 4th of July!  Many of us can think back to our childhood to fireworks, cookout's, beaches, lakes and many other memories we celebrated with siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents on Independence Day.  Right? One of the hallmarks of the summer season is this "Lipton Ice Tea Plunge" time of year when we literally went outside to have FUN!  However, as some of us have gotten older and started to look into the meaning behind the holiday, it suddenly got a little complicated, depending on your point of view.

As an African American and a member of the First Nation of the Tuscarora Indians I can fully appreciate that on July 4th, 1776 a sizeable portion of my ancestors who happened to be here and had any part in the revolutionary war did so under very "interesting" circumstances. Notwithstanding that in short order, the legalization of slave labor marking the mass importation of African men, women and children against their will to the newly liberated former colonies, would set in motion a social direction that our country, to this day, has struggled to come to terms with.  Not to mention the geocide and near extermination of native tribes throughout the former colonies, which is still a blithe on the consciousness of this country.

Today's blog, however, is not about uncovering uncomfortable and unpleasant truths behind this national holiday, it is  about understanding, yet again, the importance of coming to terms with what is the actual origin story of our nation and how we individually play a part in that story today. Likewise, it is also about the attitude we have in celebrating this holiday with our friends, families and loved ones and the story we frame for future generations to come.

As I stated in my opening, I recall many a firework display and an endless stream of those glittery sparkling sticks.  The notion that the idea of an independent and free country would be able to celebrate its freedoms collectively is a good notion, a good thing. Whether we can actually pull it off in this current climate of constant terror threats and pending, looming fear is another challenge altogether, depending on your politics and attitude.

For my part, I would hope that the memories I have of the free, friendly, family and community celebrations of my youth will be passed on to my daughter for her to share with her children in the years to come.  I hope that the readers of this blog would want to pass along the same, if not similar experiences for their children, their neighbors children and extended families, to expand the narrative that TODAY we are a nation of diverse people who have one key thing in common, a celebration of freedom and hope for a brighter, brilliant future.

If you can, spend time with a young person today, planting a positive memory that he or she will want to share when they get to be your age. Remember that we were all children once, running, playing and having fun. Keep in mind also that today’s children will one day be tomorrow’s adults and they will take our place sharing their stories about us, to their children and to the generations to come.