Dear COE faculty and staff,
The 4th of July holiday this week comes as a thankful opportunity to rest, and enjoy family and friends. This holiday takes on deeper meaning as our country and our college contemplate just what the constitution of America stands for, as well as the ongoing press to change toward equal social justice for all in our current lens of anti-black racism. Please see this article below by Andrea Martin with her insight about what the 4th of July really means. She states “On July 5th, 1852 Fredrick Douglass presented The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro that not only addressed the crowd present at the time of the speech, but also continued to confront and inspire reflection in millions of Americans even 162 years to come. As the hotdog rolls and ketchup move to the front of the grocery isles, I reflect on Douglass’ call for racial equality at a time when our nation both sought freedom and endorsed slavery.” She goes on to encourage us to “reconsider the meaning of freedom and racial justice through a historical lens in a reading of Fredrick Douglass’ speech The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro. “ Her article and the speech by Fredrick Douglass can be read below.
https://www.pjcvt.org/freedom-for-all-what-the-fourth-of-july-really-means/
https://masshumanities.org/files/programs/douglass/speech_complete.pdf
Please continue to look at our self-care website for additional resources at https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/articles-information-self-care
May your 4th of July be filled with self-care, reflection, time with loved ones, and a commitment for equity and freedom for all!
In gratitude,
Shari and Josh