Sundiata Cha-Jua/Real Talk: July 4: Commemoration of democracy? – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
On Friday June 16, a St. Paul, Minn., jury acquitted police Officer Jeronimo Yanez of Philando Castile's murder. Tuesday is July Fourth. I hope the connection and contradiction are obvious.
July Fourth commemorates U.S. independence, but more importantly it celebrates America's claim to democracy. Thus, July 4, 2017, is an excellent time to seriously contemplate this assertion.
Over the last eight months, liberal pundits have routinely commented on the state of "American democracy." They largely lament the fascist Donald Trump's impact on America's "democratic" ideals and institutions. Most, like the New York Times' Steven Livitsky and Daniel Ziblatt stress Trump's authoritarian tendencies. Because of his propensity to place self-interest above the common good, they see Trump as a threat to U.S. "democratic" institutions and traditions. Given Trump's refusal to comply with accepted norms and his attacks on the First Amendment, he certainly is dangerous.
A few commentators, like the Atlantic's Eric Liu, counterintuitively speculate that Trump's anti-democratic behavior is the best antidote to Americans' apathy. Liu believes Trumpism will revitalize civic organizations and revive citizenship among a dispirited and indifferent population. The upsurge in marches and civil disobedience against Trump's further erosion of democratic procedures suggest Liu is right, at least in the short run.
Yet, it seems to me that both views skirt the serious issues surrounding America's declaration of democracy. Pundits erroneously discuss the danger Trump poses to democratic processes without critiquing the defective nature of those "democratic" principles and practices. To a huge extent Trump's authoritarianism helps expose the myth. The country's collective historical amnesia or willful mystification facilitates Americans' unawareness or rejection of the truth about the red, white and blue.
African-Americans and other oppressed people have never had that luxury. We live on the underside of U.S. society, at the bottom of the well. From our vantage point, American democracy is a lightly scented perfume that fails to camouflage the US' putrid odor. At best the U.S. is a Herrenvolk democracy (a democracy for the white majority). But as the history labor and the poor attest this is a generous assessment. Knowing the hypocrisy of America, we darker people have made critique of its democratic pretensions a cottage industry.
In the title song on her 2016 CD, "Red, White and Blue," the neo-blues artist Sunny War sings, "Red, White and Blue/They are coming for you/From sea to shining sea/Jesus sings democracy/Been running our world like a business/Leaving our earth buried in sin/Doing it all for the dollar/Killing our world and dying with it/Red, White and Blue/They will get you too."
War's lyrics reflect the African-American tradition of critically appraising America's claim to democracy and prophesying its future punishment. Her lyrics link her to a line of African-American freedom fighters that includes people like David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ella Baker, Paul Robeson, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr, Assata Shakur and Jamil Al-Amin (H. Rap Brown).
Perhaps more than any other commentary, War's song, "Red, White and Blue," recalls Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" In that talk, Douglass answered for enslaved African-Americans. He replied, July Fourth is "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 shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery ... your sermons and thanksgivings, 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."
Douglass' response is as relevant today as it was in 1852. The form of racial oppression has changed but contemporary U.S. blacks remain subjugated.
Some of you will applaud Douglass' assessment of the U.S. during antebellum slavery but most of you will find my connecting his evaluation to the present unnuanced, harsh, perhaps ungrateful, and maybe even absurd. Yet, if the measure of America's limited notion of liberal democracy is the equal protection of human and civil rights, especially the right to choose one's elected officials without restriction. If that's the criteria, then African-Americans have and continue to exist under a form of tyranny.
Contemporary voter suppression is eerily similar to the "colorblind" policies and laws used to disfranchise blacks during the nadir (1877-1920s) and well into the 1960s.
The 115th Congress is the most diverse in US history; yet, the African-American members (49 representatives and three senators) still constitute only 10.5 and 3 percent, even though black folks comprise over 13 percent of the U.S. population.
Meanwhile, the police kill more blacks yearly than were lynched in any given year.
A jury acquitted police Officer Jeronimo Yanez of Philando Castile's murder and Tuesday we celebrate American democracy.
For me, July Fourth 2017, will remind me that the U.S. continues to perform crimes of control that would dishonor a totalitarian society.
Sundiata Cha-Jua is a professor of African-American studies and history at the University of Illinois and is a member of the North End Breakfast Club. His email is schajua@gmail.com.
Read more here:
Sundiata Cha-Jua/Real Talk: July 4: Commemoration of democracy? - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
- English democracy relies on local councillors. So why are so many facing the axe? | Polly Toynbee - The Guardian - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- After Gaza Ceasefire, Massive Political Pressure Needed to Prevent Israel from Restarting the War - Democracy Now! - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Shaping democracy from the middle: Party grassroots and Ghanas democratic progress - Brookings - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Audit procedures, democracy and capitalism, use windshield wipers, headlights | Letters - Post and Courier - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- IFES Presents 2025 Democracy Award to Leaders in Technology and Democracy - The International Foundation for Electoral Systems: IFES - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Youth and experience, side by side, working towards democracy: the 10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth opened in... - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Academics continue hypocritical whining about freedom and democracy - The College Fix - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- A Ceasefire Deal, But Not a Peace Agreement: What Will Happen in Gaza After Hostages Are Released? - Democracy Now! - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- A democracy activist forced to live in hiding - Times of India - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Antifa Expert to Flee with Family to Spain Following Death Threats - Democracy Now! - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- @theatlantic is one of my favorite magazines, and its November issue focuses on the "Unfinished Revolution" a deep dive into the ways... - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Machado keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness - The City Paper Bogot - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- All In Our Heads: On Losing Our Democracy and Life Beyond Our Imaginations - Liberal Currents - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- The UK stands in solidarity with the people of Venezuela and their right to democracy, freedom and human dignity: UK statement at the UN Security... - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- A pro-democracy Venezuelan politician wins this years Nobel Peace Prize. Is it a rebuke to Trump? - Yahoo News Canada - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado hails Trump for restoring democracy and freedom in the Americas - New York Post - October 11th, 2025 [October 11th, 2025]
- Kyrgyzstan Snap Election: Democracy on Edge or Politics as Usual? - The Times Of Central Asia - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Five Young Democracy Advocates Share What They Have Learned - The New York Times - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Best Of BPR 10/8: Michael Sandel On Reinvigorating Self Governance To Save Democracy - WGBH - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Athens Democracy Forum: Dialogue Is An Antidote for Security Threats - The New York Times - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Democracy on Trial: Israels Judiciary and the Politics of Reform - The Times of Israel - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- The Race to Stop AIs Threats to Democracy - Mother Jones - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Reimagining Democracy launches for its second year - The Stanford Daily - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- How Billionaires Are Rewriting History and Democracy - The Fulcrum - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Port: In Minot, an example of how democracy is supposed to work - InForum - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- National Guard Troops from Texas Arrive in Chicago - Democracy Now! - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- At Oversight Hearing, AG Bondi Responds to Questions With Attacks Instead of Answers - Democracy Docket - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Behind the scenes of democracy - Artesia Daily Press - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- What is the real relationship between capitalism and democracy? Horasis 2025 attendees in So Paulo aim to find out - Latin America Reports - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Democracy on trial: Why we appeal to the United Nations - The Jakarta Post - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Oregon governor calls Trumps actions an abuse of power and threat to our democracy - PBS - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Nurses from around the globe take part in Democracy Is Not for Sale march - National Nurses United - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Opinion | Do the Democratic Socialists of America really believe in democracy? - The Washington Post - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Francis and Kathleen Rooney make transformative gift for Notre Dame institute focused on democracy research and education - Notre Dame News - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- CalMatters Digital Democracy team helps launch the same effort in Hawaii with Civil Beat - CalMatters - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Conservatism and the Future of Democracy - Ash Center - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- OSCE leaders call for return to the principles of democracy and human rights enshrined in Helsinki 50 years ago - Organization for Security and... - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Video: How AI and surveillance capitalism are undermining democracy - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Democracy On The Docket As Supreme Court Kicks Off Momentous Term - Above the Law - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Hungarian Opposition Leader Denounces Facebook Censorship as Threat to Democracy - Hungarian Conservative - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Peter Thiel, Would-Be Philosopher King, Takes on Democracy - Jacobin - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Free Mother Han! Free Pastor Son! Confronting South Koreas Crisis of Democracy - Bitter Winter - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Supreme Courts New Term Sparks Fears Over Democracy and Rights - The Washington Informer - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Dont dwell on democracy, and other new findings about how to market local news - Editor and Publisher - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Yes on Prop. 50: Fighting to preserve democracy and Democratic values - The Press Democrat - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Humboldt Democracy Connections to Hold No Kings March: Co-Op to the Courthouse October 18 - Redheaded Blackbelt - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- This Week at Democracy Docket: Reporting Live from the Texas Gerrymander Challenge - Democracy Docket - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Syria: Fake democracy on the ruins of a divided nation - Tehran Times - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Moroccos Gen Z: Rejecting Democracy, Trusting the Throne - The Times of Israel - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- Documentary About Thai Politician Pita Limjaroenrat & Fight For Democracy In The Works With U.S., Thai Producers - Deadline - October 7th, 2025 [October 7th, 2025]
- This Week in Democracy Week 37: Trump Goes Full Fascist and Denounces 'Enemy From Within' - Zeteo - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Citizens United and the Decline of US Democracy: Assessing the Decisions Impact 15 Years Later - The Roosevelt Institute - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Meet a RetrieverAnn Tropea, assistant director for engaged media with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life - UMBC - University Of Maryland,... - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- 15 Years After Citizens United, Hows Our Democracy Doing? - The Roosevelt Institute - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Tending to the Garden of American Democracy is Hard and Thankless Work - Literary Hub - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Collier county students invited to enter 'Art for Democracy' contest - WGCU - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- National Urban League Demands End to Shutdown That Threatens Americans and Democracy - National Urban League - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Pettit lectures on What, Why, and How of Democracy - tribtoday.com - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Democracy & Collaborative Governance in the Caribbean - PA TIMES Online - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- A global legal coalition forms to defend judges, and democracy, from rising threats - Federal News Network - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Economic Concentration and Its Dual Threats to Democracy - promarket.org - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- What the Gen Z protests in Nepal can teach the US about democracy - WBUR - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- American democracy might not survive another year is Europe ready for that? | Alexander Hurst - The Guardian - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- From Democracy to My Way or the Highway in Missouri - The American Prospect - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Claudia Sheinbaums first year: 5 key points on democracy and human rights - Washington Office on Latin America | WOLA - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Faculty debate the future of U.S. democracy - The Middlebury Campus - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Interdisciplinary Center for Law and Democracy launches with diverse student, academic programs - The Daily Texan - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Guinea and the Challenges for Social Democracy and the Left - CounterPunch.org - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- SCOTUS Blocks Trumps Attempt to Fire Federal Reserve Governor, For Now - Democracy Docket - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Democratic Senator warns collapse of democracy is coming as shutdown grinds government to a halt - MSNBC News - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Trump Tells Top Military Brass to Prepare for War Against Enemy from Within - Democracy Docket - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Armenia is ready to follow the path of peace and democracy - coe.int - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Safeguarding Democracy: Addressing Polarization and Institutional Failures - The Fulcrum - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- The Democracy Project loses third year of grant funding - Annenberg Media - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- A Green Light for War Crimes? What Trump & Hegseths Lecture to Generals Really Means - Democracy Now! - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Transcript: David Lammy on the fight for democracy - Financial Times - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Jimmy returned and democracy won | Letters to the editor - Sun Sentinel - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Letter to the Editor: SAVE DEMOCRACY! VOTE NO ON PROP. 50 - Valley Roadrunner - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Exclusive: The 12 words that unraveled democracy at Second Baptist Church - Houston Chronicle - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Princeton must practice the democracy that it preaches - The Daily Princetonian - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]