I’m reflecting on this Fourth of July, because this one seems so different than any other I can remember.
Friends and family will not gather.
Parades are cancelled.
This three-day weekend is a cruel irony for the millions rendered unemployed by the coronavirus. Nor will it be enjoyed even by many with jobs, who must work from home with young children tugging at their attention — or along the front lines of our supply chain — worrying about their health and knowing their economic fate may not be so secure.
Factionalism is strong. Social cohesion is weak. We perceive domestic enemies everywhere.
The virus overlays it all. It has revealed our vulnerabilities on many levels — physically, societally, even spiritually.
Then there’s the Black Lives Matters movement and our era’s renewed call for social justice. People are reassessing our history, learning that the dominant narrative is not shared by all. The founders declared American “independence,” though freedom for so many would remain elusive for so long, and in some ways it still does.
We have reconsidered our monuments. Some statutes are simply relics of the worst days of racism. They should go. Yet other sculptures — such as the Freedman’s Memorial — reflect a more nuanced story and perhaps ought to be preserved.
This day is a complicated monument of sorts too. Independence Day commemorates our principled break from tyranny, the courage and genius of our founders, and basic national pride.
But we must also remember how we’ve fallen short of our ideals. So, we should dedicate some effort this day — especially this year — toward revitalizing our struggle toward a more perfect union.
Have a good Fourth of July.