It was 1852, and the free Black people who lived in New York gathered after a Fourth of July celebration. But there was a problem they couldn’t let rest.
Black people down South were still enslaved. And some free Black people were at risk of re-enslavement under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. No matter where they lived, all Black people were still considered property.
Black northerners ignored July 4. They deliberately chose July 5, 1852, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the emancipation of over 10,000 Black people in New York in 1827. Also on that date, Frederick Douglass delivered his famous speech, “What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?” But this wasn’t just a one-time celebration.
For a quarter of a century, our people rejected July 4 celebrations and gathered every July 5 with the ultimate goal of destroying slavery everywhere. They understood one crucial fact.
We don’t need to wait for legislation or be grateful for political crumbs. We don’t even need to wait for July 5. Our freedom is in our hands. When we unify, we get one step closer to the world we want to live in. Imagine if we did the same thing today to end poverty, police brutality, and anti-Black education and housing systems. Together we can make it happen.