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Do you sometimes run out of things to say to white people? Take a few tips from Frederick Douglass and just tell it like it is (And no, Not-My-President Trump, Frederick Douglass is not still alive). In 1852, Frederick Douglass was invited by the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society (a white abolitionist group) to speak on the occasion of the Fourth of July. As a former enslaved Black man who taught himself to read and write, Douglass experienced the inhumanities first-hand, yet traveled the country to advocate for slavery’s abolition. A rare occasion for a Black man in the 19th century, Douglass took advantage of his podium to call into question the very legitimacy of the American institution. He spoke candidly and honestly. He spoke truth to power. But just what did he say? Douglass admonished white Americans for celebrating a holiday embedded in true, red, white & blue hypocrisy. A nation that “stood” for equality and justice yet enslaved it’s fellow man. A nation that admitted that Black people were human - yet continued to subjugate them. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Take a listen at one of the most historic passages here, narrated by Morgan Freeman. Then, check out some key points to share at today’s BBQ (or whenever you encounter someone of the Caucasian persuasion that needs a reality check). Frederick Douglass: “Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting.” Frederick Douglass wrote this speech in 1852 - twenty years before the Emancipation Proclamation and twenty-two years before Juneteenth (when slavery actually ended). This means that while he’s delivering this oratorical masterpiece, hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were actively - and legally - building the foundations of the American economy. But whether his audience looked to America’s current state of affairs or past transgressions part of its imperialist expansions, each occurrence is just as revolting to contradict any form of celebration. Frederick Douglass: “At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed…For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.” Do you know what time it is? Folks are trying to “Make America Great Again.” We have conservative politicians changing Congressional rules to appoint their preferred Supreme Court Justice. We have a long-time racist serving as an Attorney General with an agenda to imprison even more Black and Brown bodies, and cops are acquitted even though video footage clearly shows them murdering Black men and women. We are in troubling times. And we must act now. Frederick Douglass: “The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.” The inequities between Black and White Americans grow by the day: Average wealth for white families is twelve times higher than median black wealth More than one in four Black households have zero or negative net worth, compared to less than one in ten white families without wealth Blacks are staunchly overrepresented in the prison system Despite comprising the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S, yet only 0.2% of Black women founders were funded by venture capitalists  ...and the list could continue: educational attainment, hiring and promotion, and even media representation. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); There are clear inequities between Black and White communities -- and little, if any, justification for common rejoice. Frederick Douglass: “This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn...For you to ask us to join you in celebration is “inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony.” What is freedom? We - as an entire community - were not even free at the time of Douglass’ speech. But you could argue that we’re not free even in the present times. To celebrate without acknowledging our community’s actual state of affairs would be a mockery to our own people. And for the white abolitionists, to celebrate the independence of some while not able to celebrate with all is but “sacrilegious irony.” Frederick Douglass: If [we] celebrated the Fourth of July, it would be “treason, most scandalous and shocking, and would make me reproach before God and the world.” Throughout his speech, Douglass takes hits at the Christian faith as running completely contradictory to the institute of slavery. Yet whites manipulated religion to justify the subjugation of Black people. We, again, see this today through fundamental extremism, the subjugation of the Muslim faith, and the use of the word of God to bring about self-determination for the white race. So, take a tip from Douglass if you’re really ‘bout that life and use their own religion to demonstrate this contradictory behavior. These were but a few of Douglass’ iconic words and strategies in the infamous speech, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July.” We at #PushBlack encourage you to read the speech in-full. Or, at least, take a look at what has been deemed the most moving passage of all - - and don’t forget to share it with a friend. “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings; with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.” #PushBlack (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

In 1929, the Great Depression punched America in the face and didn’t stop punching until 1939. But it hit Black folks even harder. Years before the stock market crash of ‘29, Blacks were already living in despair. At the peak of the Depression, Black unemployment stood at 50% and those who had jobs could expect $5/week. That’s only $90/week (or $4,800/year) in today’s dollars. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); So, it comes as no surprise that, as a Black girl born in Little Rock, AR in 1935, Raye Montague received a clear, familiar warning about the world from her mother: “Raye, you'll have three strikes against you. You're Black and you're female and you'll have a southern segregated school education.” Young Raye probably didn’t realize the seriousness of her mother’s warning – or that she would take this advice and make history. Raye was a curious child. Despite the danger Black people faced in the South, she wasn’t afraid to explore and ask questions. When touring a submarine exhibit with her grandfather, she marveled at the enormous vessels. Raye asked their guide how she could work on something like that one day. The guide replied, “Oh, you’d have to be an engineer, but you don’t ever have to worry about that.” Challenge accepted. Years later, Raye applied to college, seeking an engineering degree. To her dismay, her first-choice school didn’t accept Black people. Unfortunately, racism had deferred her dream. Raye ended up earning a business degree at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, an HBCU near Little Rock. Although she shifted gears, she kept her goal in sight. Upon graduating, Raye landed a job as a typist at the U.S. Navy. In addition to her daily duties, she worked tirelessly, teaching herself both engineering and programming. Her dedication paid off when she became a computer systems analyst at the Naval Ship Engineering Center in 1970. Many of her white male co-workers grew furious with her accomplishment, and disrespected her by requesting she perform menial tasks like fetching coffee. Though hurtful, Raye never let that phase her. Then, the White House called. President Nixon wanted the Navy to design a new ship using a computer. Computers were still new and had never been used in this capacity. To add even more pressure, Nixon only gave them two months to complete the task. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Despite Raye’s supervisors’ resentment towards her, they knew she was the only person for the job. However, they gave her one month to complete it, keeping the true deadline a secret. Challenge accepted. She successfully completed the job in less than 18 hours. This accomplishment led to her becoming the first woman program manager of ships in the Navy - the equivalent of being the CEO of a company. Raye Montague had three strikes against her, but she never struck out. … if only we could see the look on that tour guide’s face when he got the news!