Op-Ed: The Hypocrisy of Freedom on the 4th of July

As fireworks light the sky and politicians wax poetic about liberty this Fourth of July, it’s worth pausing to ask: freedom for whom?

On July 5,1852 in his “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” speech  Frederick Douglass  a formerly enslaved abolitionist, delivered a powerful critique of American hypocrisy on July 5, 1852. He argued that while white Americans celebrated freedom and independence on the Fourth of July, enslaved people experienced it as a reminder of their own bondage and the nation’s betrayal of its founding ideals. 

The United States loves to celebrate itself as a beacon of freedom, but under the shadow of the Trump administration’s resurgence and its most recent legislative triumph—dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill”—that claim rings hollow. This bill, passed swiftly through a partisan Congress, has gutted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies and educational institutions, under the guise of “restoring merit.” In reality, it’s a calculated rollback of civil rights progress, targeting historically marginalized groups under a thin veneer of populist rhetoric.

Simultaneously, Trump-aligned policies have intensified anti-immigrant actions. ICE and Homeland Security have ramped up terror in our city, detentions and deportations are often under inhumane conditions. One need only look at the grotesque new detention facility in Florida—nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” for its literal moat of alligators and Nazi Germany like prison camp—as the physical embodiment of cruelty disguised as security.

This Fourth of July, while we sing about liberty and justice for all, immigrant children sleep in cages, DEI programs are dismantled, and federal agencies carry out racially charged enforcement in the name of nationalism. The contradiction is staggering: a country that prides itself on freedom is actively legislating exclusion and punishing difference. We are better than this!

Our Diversity is our Strength.
Our Country was built on the backs of Black slaves, Immigrants, and hard working folks from around the world looking to survive and provide for their families. We are supposed to offer Opportunities for All. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe Free” is inscribed on a plaque inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The lines are a powerful symbol of Welcome and Hope for immigrants seeking refuge and opportunity in the United States. How about this Administration create a Pathway to Citizenship for the Farm Workers, Day Laborers, and Street Entrepreneurs, etc. instead of criminalizing our most vulnerable neighbors.
There’s a scripture that comes to mind, Matthew 22:39, which states, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” 

Until our policies reflect the values etched into our founding documents, the fireworks are just noise—distraction from the systemic injustices that persist, and now, expand. True freedom cannot coexist with selective humanity. If we’re going to celebrate liberty, we must first stop legislating against it.