No Cause for Celebration: The Fourth of July in a Time of Cruelty

Tomorrow, America will light up the sky with fireworks. Families will gather. Flags will wave. Politicians will deliver patriotic speeches. But for many of us—Black, Brown, poor, working-class—this year’s Fourth of July carries no joy. There is no cause for celebration.

At a time when our country should be striving to lift its people up, Congress has passed what they proudly call a “big, beautiful bill.” But its beauty lies only in the eyes of the privileged. For the millions who rely on Medicare and SNAP, it’s a betrayal. This bill slashes support for the most vulnerable Americans. It punishes the poor. It prioritizes austerity over humanity. And it reminds us, once again, that the system is not broken—it’s working exactly as it was designed to.

Make no mistake: this is the GOP’s vision for America. This bill is a direct assault by Republican lawmakers—backed by the Trump administration and its allies—on working people, the elderly, and the poor. They want to shred the safety net and sell our suffering as 'tough love.' But it is nothing more than calculated cruelty.

What, to the Poor, Is the Fourth of July?

In 1852, Frederick Douglass stood before a crowd and posed a question that still echoes today:

“What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?”

Douglass didn’t offer polite celebration. He issued a moral reckoning. He exposed the hollowness of a nation that claimed liberty while millions remained enslaved. His speech was fire and clarity—a reminder that patriotic ritual means nothing without justice.

Today, we must ask a version of his same question:

What, to the Black, the Brown, the poor, is your Fourth of July?

What is this celebration when your refrigerator is empty? When you can't afford insulin? When your rent is more than your paycheck? What is freedom when the laws passed in Washington treat your life as disposable?

Modern Chains, Familiar Pain

Though the physical chains are gone, the oppression has simply evolved. It wears new names now: “entitlement reform,” “deficit reduction,” “border security.” But the result is the same—our communities are criminalized, underfunded, abandoned.

And now, with the passage of this bill, those already struggling will be forced to suffer more. Elders will lose care. Children will go hungry. The working poor will be told they must “tighten their belts” while billionaires cash in on tax loopholes.

The politics of cruelty are nothing new. But accepting them must never become normal. Especially not when the architects of this cruelty—Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and every lawmaker who signed on—stand unashamed. And not when our supposed allies respond with platitudes instead of action.

We Refuse to Sit Back

Freedom is not fireworks. It is food on the table. It is medicine when you're sick. It is housing, education, safety, and dignity. If our policies don't deliver that, they are not policies of freedom. They are policies of control.

This holiday, I cannot celebrate. Not while my neighbors are suffering. Not while Congress cheers on cruelty. Not while justice is delayed and distorted.

We cannot afford silence. We must demand that our leaders govern with care—not with indifference or disdain. We must challenge every elected official to bring ideas that improve lives. Anything else is simply unacceptable.

No More Time

We are out of time for symbolic politics. The people are tired. The people are angry. The people are ready to fight for a new kind of freedom—one not written in slogans but in action.

Let this Fourth of July be a turning point. Not a party. Not a performance. A pivot toward justice.

As Douglass once said, “At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed.” The irony is alive and well. But so is our power.

Let’s use it.