Happy James Baldwin Day
Make this happen: Let’s turn Independence Day into James Baldwin Day, and spend that time calling America on its unfulfilled promises.
An altered American flag in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone, June 12, 2020
Much of the United States finally seems interested in learning how to be anti-racist, or at least interested in books about it. Why not keep the momentum going? Let’s have a federally-recognized holiday when Americans evaluate their anti-racist growth and make concrete plans and policy changes that would help us do even better. Think of it as love in action.
We’d also be honoring author James Baldwin’s lifelong dedication to holding this country accountable for its racism. It seems right that we follow up on the nationwide protests against police brutality by using Baldwin’s searing criticism as an action guide.
Don’t worry — we’ll still party for Freedom-with-a-capital-F with flags and hot dogs and raisin-free potato salad. We’ll just do it on Juneteenth — a celebration of actual enslaved people leaving bondage.
