Rep. Cori Bush slams the Fourth of July, claims 'Black people still aren't free'
WASHINGTON - One Democratic lawmaker and several left-wing figures used the Fourth of July to share controversial statements or disparage the founding of the United States.
Democrat Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo, tweeted out, "When they say that the 4th of July is about American freedom, remember this: the freedom they’re referring to is for White people. This land is stolen land and Black people still aren’t free."
UNITED STATES - MAY 6: Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., testifies during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing titled Birthing While Black: Examining Americas Black Maternal Health Crisis, in Rayburn Building on Thursday, May 6, 2021. (Photo By Tom
There were some who agreed with Bush's comments, like congressional candidate Shahid Buttar. He replied to her tweet saying, "Speak it, @CoriBush! It’s almost as if our entire country has been brainwashed to ignore our history—and how its worst elements continue today—despite our self-congratulatory rhetoric."
Former MSNBC anchor Toure was far more vocal, tweeting out "F--k Independence Day. Not only were we not free, the whole reason the Colonies wanted independence was because Britain was moving toward abolishing slavery. Why would Black people celebrate a day so wrapped up in our enslavement?"
He also tweeted out his own opinion piece for the website The Grio titled "F--k Fourth of July: The only independence day I recognize is Juneteenth."
Actress Alyssa Milano also disparaged the Fourth of July by sharing a TikTok video of herself reading, "Reminder: The United States was founded on the unjust treatment of Native Americans, Africans and other people of color."
News organizations also took the opportunity to use the holiday to criticize the United States and its history.
NPR tweeted out a thread of the original Declaration of Independence, claiming it to be "a document with flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies." It also remarked immediately that the document "says ‘that all men are created equal’ — but women, enslaved people, Indigenous people and many others were not held as equal at the time."
The Washington Post went even further by posting several opinion pieces that critique the holiday or use it for political partisanship. These pieces included "The Fourth is for complainers," "Independence Day 2021 is an apt occasion to celebrate America’s liberation from Trump," and a perspective piece titled "July Fourth is Independence Day for two countries. But for one it is hollow."
This followed the New York Times opinion piece that suggested the American flag became a symbol of divisiveness. In the article titled "A Fourth of July Symbol of Unity That May No Longer Unite."
"Today, flying the American flag from the back of a pickup truck or over a lawn is increasingly seen as a clue, albeit an imperfect one, to a person’s political affiliation in a deeply divided nation," the article states.
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