WPFW

“This Fourth of July is yours, not mine,” ⬇️

Douglass declared to his Rochester audience.

“You may rejoice, I must mourn.”

The speech was a turning point in abolitionist rhetoric, for sure. And since delivering the address almost 200 years ago, Douglass’ words still ring with chilling relevance. In the age of the prison industrial complex, and especially as we see the expansion of the PIC's immigrant detention arm, his questions remain disturbingly timely. If you haven't listened to the whole speech yet, you should. Ossie Davis does a particularly resonant reading (recording available on Youtube).

This weekend, Americans celebrate freedom and independence, as an increasingly openly fascist state opts to trade constitutional rights for jail time. Douglass' speech invites us not only to reflect, but to interrogate who's still excluded from the promises of democracy and how we can fight to expand those freedoms. And throughout this entire year, we can amplify the poignancy of these questions by 250x.

True freedom, and even true patriotism, lies in the unwavering demand for true justice. If you're just here for the holiday and the festivities, it shows. If your hear for the very BEST of what America has to offer, join us in manifesting that vision, for all people here.
Text WPFWFM to 801801 to keep the sound of freedom ringing across the airwaves.