How do we celebrate the 4th of July when American freedom is disappearing? | Deborah Archer, Song Richardson and Susan Sturm

The Fourth of July celebration of freedom feels contradictory this year, especially for those who have felt secure in the government's commitment to democracy and the rule of law. However, this contradiction is not new, as Black, brown, and Indigenous communities have always seen the gap between American democracy's ideals and the lived reality of exclusion. Frederick Douglass's 1852 address highlighted the hypocrisy of celebrating liberty while millions were enslaved. Today, racial disparities and policies perpetuating segregation, second-class citizenship, and selective protection of rights persist. The authors, Deborah N Archer, L Song Richardson, and Susan Sturm, are experts in law and social responsibility. Archer is the president of the ACLU and a law professor at NYU Law School. Richardson is a law professor at the University of California Irvine School of Law and previously served as president of Colorado College. Sturm is a law professor at Columbia Law School and the founding director of the Center for Institutional and Social Change. The authors argue that despair is not a strategy and that this moment should be used to create change. They emphasize the need to confront the contradictions and work towards transforming institutions to achieve true democracy and equality.