“Freedom Was Never a Birthright”

By: Me

 

I share my birthday with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4th.

Fireworks and flags light the sky,

but for me…
it’s always been more complicated than that.

See, I was born on the most controversial holiday

for my people,

a day that screams freedom
in a country that once caged my ancestors’ names.

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And I used to wonder...
why me?
Why that day?
Why celebrate freedom
That never included the ones who look like me?

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But through years of living,
of learning,
of unlearning,
I came to understand, 

that maybe,

just maybe,
my birth on that day was no accident.

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Because freedom...
ain’t a gift you’re handed.
It’s not wrapped in red, white, and blue.
Freedom must be fought for,
again and again,
relentlessly pursued,

because it was never, and will never be 
a birthright.

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And as Nelson Mandela said,
“To be free
is not merely to cast off one’s chains,
but to live in a way
that respects and enhances
the freedom of others.”

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So now I carry that truth
like a torch through the dark, a reminder
that freedom isn’t a day on the calendar,
it’s a way of life.
It’s the fire that keeps burning
long after the fireworks fade.