I will not celebrate America's 250th Anniversary

U.S. 250th Marred by Hatred, Racism and Murder

By Mildred Robertson

I will not celebrate America's 250th Anniversary on July 4th 2026. It should be a joyous occasion where we all look back on how far we have come, and all the many wonderful accomplishments that made this country a leader among nations. Those accomplishments are real...documented...impressive. Generally, in a blog such as this, I would list them...laud them. But not today. Today I flipped through my facebook pages and found evil, despicable stories and comments that overshadow all the good that this country has brought forth, because it has been equally efficient in birthing violence, hate, injustice and racism. 

On Sunday night, the president of these United States hosted a taxpayer funded UFC fight...that's right, a cage fight, supposedly to honor our 250th anniversary and his 80th birthday. This uncouth display had all the trappings of a trailer park brawl with no dignity and no mention of this country's storied history which it supposedly was celebrating. Instead UFC fighter Josh Hokit took the opportunity to slander former first lady Michelle Obama during a post-fight speech. 

I won't repeat the offense, but you all know it. According to CNN journalist Alejandra Jaramillo, Trump, who was seated on the front row, "appeared to show a half-smile seconds after the false remark." Apparently there was a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd. The fact that there were enough attendants who audibly cheered such mean-spirited behavior made me ashamed of the Republican crowd who supported this event. But what triggered me today is the number of Americans from across the country who support and display that same behavior and are willing to put it in writing on Facebook.

While Michelle Obama did not go low...apparently, she plans to go to court. It is my hope that she is successful in stripping Hokit of his earnings from his despicable performance in that cage that you and I payed for. 

Photo courtesy Kohen Wiley family

But that wasn't all. On that same day, a Mississippi police officer took the life of a 1-year-old over the alleged theft of a box of pampers. Yes, you read that right. Little Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by Senatobia Mississippi police officers called to the local Walmart for his parent allegedly stealing a box of pampers. The police claimed they shot into the vehicle in a public parking lot because the driver tried to run over them. (That is a story we've heard before...I will wait for the video.)

Now, it is bad enough that this incident occurred, but the numerous Facebook posts that try to justify the taking of this child's life is heart-wrenching. They do not ascribe any fault to the police officers..."the driver should not have headed toward the officers, nearly hitting them." But the tragedy of the snuffing out of this baby's life causes them no grief. It elicits no sympathy. They acknowledge neither his humanity nor his innocence. 

That is the America I cannot celebrate. All of America's storied history is muddied, defiled by its inability to acknowledge the cruelty, hatred and bigotry that is buried beneath its gloried accomplishments; attributes that allowed it to build its success on the backs of blacks and other minorities who to this day have not been acknowledged as fully American, or even fully human. 

So there will be no fireworks for me. There will be no celebration. Instead, I will celebrate Juneteenth, which commemorates when many of my people learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, a proclamation that to this day has not been fully realized.  Because of that, I see no reason to celebrate this historic anniversary. 

Don't Be Distracted During America's Fight For Justice

Just because Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Keith Porter are no longer in the news does not mean they are not still dead.

It does not mean that they were not killed at the hand of the state. It does not mean that their deaths were not homicides. It does not mean that a myriad of other American citizens have not been targeted, attacked, raped and imprisoned by the Trump administration.

The atrocities continue though media attention does not.

The Kennedy Center is still under attack. The White House sits in the ruins of the West Wing. People are still being disappeared. Detention centers are still being built and women and children are still being raped in them.

Gas prices are still too high. Citizens are being oppressed by rising costs for food, housing and other necessities. The South is still trying to suppress your vote and Trump and his family are still on the grift, using taxpayer money as a personal piggy bank.

Congress is still ineffective, and the Supreme Court is still propping up a convicted felon. Insurrectionists have been pardoned and promised a payout for their January 6th acts of treason. And they are not the only criminals pardoned by this administration.

Iran still has control of the Strait of Hormuz, and there is no discernible end to the conflict that has cost American lives and treasure. America has become a joke on the world stage, and America's 80-year-old president appears to have signs of dementia, and various other physical ailments. He thinks he is a superhero, or perhaps, God. He messes his pants and falls asleep during important meetings. He still has control of the army and its nuclear weapons. The media runs breathlessly back and forth from one firestorm to another. We have gone from weekly breaking news to daily and sometimes even hourly. It is dizzying...sometimes incomprehensible. 

But we must not let the dash from one existential crisis to another overshadow the horrors that we know now exist in our society, our politics and our social interactions. Do not be distracted by the firehose of B.S. coming out of the White House and Congress meant to confuse and obfuscate.

America is in trouble. Only the American people stand between freedom and this nation's ultimate downfall. So we must focus.

The Trump administration has systematically decimated much of the infrastructure that made our nation the beacon for freedom throughout the world. While we have many times fallen short, our history demonstrates that we sought to be a society that provides equality for all it citizens. Our nation has struggled to build that "more perfect union" that the Founders sought.

But the struggle is not near to its completion. The periods in our nation's history where we lost ground are more numerous than most of us would like. This, unfortunately is such a time.

We must continue to pursue liberty. We must continue to fight for justice. We must seek to live up to our heritage where we offer refuge to the poor, the downtrodden, and those who hope for a better life.

Do not be distracted. We must continue to seek ways to rebuild the foundation that has kept us safe for 250 years. (Unfortunately, we have not all enjoyed America's promise for much of that time...nevertheless, it is our goal.)

As the scripture said in Nehemiah..."Stay on the wall,"(Nehemiah 6:3) until our fortress is rebuilt. It will take all of us working together...those always afforded the riches this land has offered, and those who still strive for total inclusion.

Don't be distracted. Stay focused. Rebuild the walls.