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"On my first Fourth of July in the United States, I woke up in the morning, stretched and realized that my wife was still in bed.
I asked if she was going to work. She said, "Oh, don't you know today is July Fourth?"
I looked through our window. Just about everybody in Fernley, Nevada, the town where we lived, was on their way to Main Street with chairs, umbrellas, drinks and snacks.
I was confused. What were they going to celebrate? I was curious, too, so I got our camp chairs and headed out to join our neighbors. That's when my wife told me what was going on: "July Fourth is America's Independence Day."
I jumped out of my seat! This couldn't be true. Who could have colonized a great country like America?
I thought colonization only occurred in Africa, where I grew up. I didn't believe her.
That was in 2014 — the year I found out that America was once a British colony, just like my native Ghana.
I have had the privilege of seeing two ways of celebrating independence — and along the way have given a lot of thought to what independence really means".
I asked if she was going to work. She said, "Oh, don't you know today is July Fourth?"
I looked through our window. Just about everybody in Fernley, Nevada, the town where we lived, was on their way to Main Street with chairs, umbrellas, drinks and snacks.
I was confused. What were they going to celebrate? I was curious, too, so I got our camp chairs and headed out to join our neighbors. That's when my wife told me what was going on: "July Fourth is America's Independence Day."
I jumped out of my seat! This couldn't be true. Who could have colonized a great country like America?
I thought colonization only occurred in Africa, where I grew up. I didn't believe her.
That was in 2014 — the year I found out that America was once a British colony, just like my native Ghana.
I have had the privilege of seeing two ways of celebrating independence — and along the way have given a lot of thought to what independence really means".
Why I love (and question) Independence Day
Posted from npr.org
4th of July
Immigration
Fernley
Africa
Ghana
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 1
1
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Is Ghana Really Independent?
Nkrumah was criticized for his authoritarian style and economic misfires; he was eventually ousted as president. But I think back to his words and wonder whether Ghana — and Africa — are really independent. Many projects in Ghana, ranging from the construction of roads and schools to the provision of vaccines and fertilizer, depend on foreign aid. Where is our independence when we depend on foreign aid for our basic necessities? We need to start thinking of independence as a continual struggle. In some ways, we are not yet truly independent.
And when I think about that statement from Nkrumah, I think about the country where I now live. This past year, I've been struck by the angry words and physical attacks aimed at people because of their race, their gender, their religious affiliation. I wonder if all Americans today share the ideology in the Declaration of Independence: "...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
But on July 4, I prefer to be an optimist. Even though independence takes a lot of work – and is a work in progress for nations both old and new — it is a moment to savor. So as I watch the spectacular fireworks and marvel at the diversity of America's crowds, I also remember how independence can be found in small pleasures — like marching for my country as a boy and drinking that cherished bottle of soda."
..."Is Ghana Really Independent?
Nkrumah was criticized for his authoritarian style and economic misfires; he was eventually ousted as president. But I think back to his words and wonder whether Ghana — and Africa — are really independent. Many projects in Ghana, ranging from the construction of roads and schools to the provision of vaccines and fertilizer, depend on foreign aid. Where is our independence when we depend on foreign aid for our basic necessities? We need to start thinking of independence as a continual struggle. In some ways, we are not yet truly independent.
And when I think about that statement from Nkrumah, I think about the country where I now live. This past year, I've been struck by the angry words and physical attacks aimed at people because of their race, their gender, their religious affiliation. I wonder if all Americans today share the ideology in the Declaration of Independence: "...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
But on July 4, I prefer to be an optimist. Even though independence takes a lot of work – and is a work in progress for nations both old and new — it is a moment to savor. So as I watch the spectacular fireworks and marvel at the diversity of America's crowds, I also remember how independence can be found in small pleasures — like marching for my country as a boy and drinking that cherished bottle of soda."
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