CGC Journal - July 2024
We're Building a Co-learning Community of Empathetic Societal Change Agents
JULY 2024 | ISSUE 12
FOR THE LOVE OF FREEDOM
America’s symbols of freedom are rooted in racial hierarchy
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Current Events - For the love of freedom
Emily’s Corner - Yay, FREEDOM!
Talking With Kids - Symbolic messages on the U.S. flag
Conversation Starter - You’re Invited to a Common Ground Conversation about “The Hidden Wound” (date, time and link in this section)
Celebrating Change Agents - Who would you recommend?
Recommended Resources - New resources recommended every month
Community Corner - We want to hear from you.
FOR THE LOVE OF FREEDOM
Each year Americans from coast to coast celebrate the Fourth of July with parades, fireworks and picnics. It is the annual celebration of America’s Declaration of Independence from Great Britain and the establishment of an independent sovereign nation in the “New World.” (Well, it was new to the Europeans).
Freedom is the focus on each Fourth of July. So it is reasonable to conduct a critical inquiry into the true meaning behind the term that is proudly associated with the founding of the USA. So, let’s explore the true meaning behind America’s symbols of freedom.
FREEDOM!
“Freedom” is the rallying cry of the American patriot. It is a code word that unlocks an ideology forged within the bedrock foundation of the American Dream. That ideology is rooted in the individual pursuit of power and wealth through a lens of racial hierarchy (valuing and devaluing humans by the mythological construct of race) and white supremacy.
We need only ask one simple question to reveal hidden motivations when the subject of “freedom” arises: “Freedom for who?” Ironically, the symbols of American freedom contain clear messaging that are revealed when examined closely…and truthfully.
U.S. FLAG
American Flag - The origin of the American flag stems from the 1777 Continental Congress that officially adopted it on June 14. Prior to the adoption of an official flag, the 13 colonies each had their own individual flag symbols. The design of the first official U.S. flag contains 13 original stars set against a blue field. The stars represent the union of 13 colonies and freedom from the sovereignty of England ... which begs the question: Freedom for who?
The red and white stripes still represent the 13 colonies today, despite additions of new stars in the blue field to represent each new state that joined the Union (which were all established and led by White men). It is rarely noted that when forming the Union, each state had to answer the quintessential question: What are you going to do with Black people? Eight of the 13 original states determined Black people would remain enslaved, thus branding the entire state as a slave state in a land of freedom.
The colors on the flag represent VALOR (red), PURITY (white) and LOYALTY (blue).
Today, each of the 50 stars on the flag represent new states that were formed by violence perpetrated by the United States on other peoples' lands. The freedoms previously enjoyed by indigenous peoples didn't matter to European immigrants who staked governmental and personal ownership claims to occupied lands.
A majority of the states (36) were created in an era of European enslavement and commoditization of Black African people, during the development of a capitalist economic system, while the remaining states joined the Union after the Civil War during an era of widespread white terrorism, white supremacy and systemic racial segregation that ensured the subjugation and marginalization of Black Americans and other populations of color. Hawaii was the last state to join the Union (1959).
U.S. NATIONAL ANTHEM
Anthem - the official song of the United States contains lyrics from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, a white supremacist slave-holding attorney who witnessed the Battle of Baltimore from a ship in the bay following a prisoner swap with the British. His poem was titled, "Defence of Fort M'Henry." It contains a third stanza that justified murdering Black people who escaped slavery and fought on the side of the British for their own freedom as "Colonial Marines." Key later combined his lyrics with a popular British drinking tune by John Stafford Smith. Key's popular poem became a popular song long before it was adopted as America’s national anthem.
More than a century later, Congress adopted the song in 1931 as the official anthem of the United States at the behest of John Linthicum, a Maryland member of Congress and delegate to the 1924 Democratic National Convention that advocated excluding Asian immigrants to the U.S. (and doubling down on the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act). Linthicum’s advocacy of Key’s racist drinking song as a national anthem was more than a century after Key penned his popular poem.
The adoption of the song was by an all-white male Congress that oversaw a racialized segregated society steeped in Jim Crow laws that were built upon a foundation of national white supremacy. Many who served in Congress and voted for the adoption of Key’s song would be later identified as America First Committee members and supporters of Nazi Germany.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Pledge of Allegiance - Francis Bellamy was the son of a Baptist preacher who became a minister himself, preaching in Boston and New York. But his name was etched into the annals of American history after he left the pulpit in 1891 and joined the staff of a youth magazine with 500,000 subscribers. Bellamy led a promotional project for the magazine that would coordinate schools around the country to engage in a patriotic celebration at the opening day of the 1892 Columbian Exposition, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the "New World." There was no mention of the infamous Doctrine of Discovery that Columbus brought with him.
Bellamy composed a simple pledge of allegiance to the American flag for millions of students to recite during the Columbus Day ceremony. He also convinced President Benjamin Harrison to make Columbus Day a national holiday.
But the original words of the pledge weren't specific enough for the Daughters of the American Revolution, who advocated at the 1923 National Flag Conference for the words "I pledge allegiance to my flag" be changed to "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States." The following year, the conference added "of America."
On the 50th anniversary of the Pledge of Allegiance in 1942, Congress adopted it as part of a national flag code. It should be noted that in 1944 (during WWII), two dozen members of Congress were indicted for peddling white supremacist Nazi propaganda. They were put on trial for sedition, which lasted a year until the judge suddenly died.
In 1954, Congress added the words "under God" due to successful lobbying by the Catholic organization, Knights of Columbus. President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill into law.
STATUE OF LIBERTY (SYMBOL OF BLACK AMERICAN FREEDOM)
Statue of Liberty - This statue was a gift from France following the Civil War, during which France sought to support the Confederate states, but failed due to the heroism of Mexicans in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
After the Union won the Civil War, abolitionist Edouard de Laboulaye introduced the idea for a statue as a gift and designed it. He was insistent that the statue not only signify friendship between America and France, but to also commemorate the end of slavery (abolition) and the freedom of Black people in America.
The broken chain at Lady Liberty's feet signifies freedom of Black people in America. But this knowledge isn't known by most children or adults in America because it isn't a highlighted part of the K-12 curriculum nor emphasized in any other areas of education and influence in American society, such as faith communities, media and political messaging.
DECORATION DAY
Decoration Day - Since 1865, when Black people and their White allies commemorated the sacrifice of Black and White soldiers who fought in the Union army for Black freedom, the nation has commemorated all who died in military service of the United States.
But the current annual celebration is rooted in the huge ceremonial commemoration by former slaves who exhumed the bodies of hastily buried Union soldiers (captured as prisoners of war and killed by Confederates) and gave them a proper burial. A parade of 10,000 attendees singing the popular song “John Brown’s Body” was in honor of the extraordinary sacrifice of the White abolitionist, John Brown, whose attack on Harper’s Ferry is widely believed to have led to the Civil War. The song evolved over time into the well-known Battle Hymn of the Republic.
MEMORIAL DAY
Memorial Day - The annual nationwide commemoration of all U.S. military members who died has lost its early meaning which was to honor Black and White Union soldiers who sacrificed their lives for Black freedom in America. Memorial Day has evolved into a more generalized commemoration of all the dead who served in the U.S. military. This generalization has obscured the origin of the day and caused such confusion that the nation no longer concerns itself with how the practice began nor honoring of those who sacrificed their lives specifically for Black freedom in America. Perhaps someday we can do both?
FREEDOM DAY
Juneteenth, a.k.a. Freedom Day - Since 1865, Black people in the US have celebrated Freedom Day in commemoration of June 19, 1865 when Union Army General Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with 2,000 troops to inform the Black people still held enslaved in the state that they were free... and to ensure their safety.
At least 250,000 enslaved learned of their freedom in Texas, which was the last stronghold of slavery in the South. But slavery was not officially ended in the whole U.S. until the 13th amendment was ratified.
Juneteenth remained the official celebration of Black Freedom and has been celebrated by Black Americans every year since 1865. In 2023, President Joe Biden made it an official national holiday.