Was it an awakening? Did the RNC mean to honor Liberia’s being founded by Black slaves on our Indepndence Day? In your dreams!
By Hal Brown
This apparent sloppy error by the RNC made the news yesterday. For example as explained in a HUFFPOST article:
RNC Accidentally Celebrates Wrong Flag In Awkward Fourth Of July Message.
The Republican National Committee’s initial attempt to celebrate Independence Day bombed on Twitter when critics noticed that the party used the wrong flag.
Several other places ― including the San Francisco district attorney and the Austin Police Department ― used the same set of incorrect flags in their Independence Day messages.
Oh ye of little faith, maybe this wasn’t a mistake at all. Perhaps it was a shout-out on the day we celebrate our independence to the Black former slaves from the United States and Caribbean who founded Liberia.
Dare I say that many American couldn’t locate Liberia on a map of Africa and there’s a good chunk of MAGA’s who don’t even know it’s an African country.
It’s even less likely very many Americans, but especially those in states where students aren’t taught about the history of slavery here (part of the anti woke bogeyman of letting students learn about critical race theory or CRT), even know the following (from Wikipedia):
Liberia began in the early 19th century as a project of the American Colonization Society (ACS), which believed black people would face better chances for freedom and prosperity in Africa than in the United States.[7] Between 1822 and the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, more than 15,000 freed and free-born African Americans, along with 3,198 Afro-Caribbeans, relocated to Liberia.[8] Gradually developing an Americo-Liberian identity,[9][10] the settlers carried their culture and tradition with them. Liberia declared independence on July 26, 1847, which the U.S. did not recognize until February 5, 1862.
Liberia was the first African republic to proclaim its independence and is Africa’s first and oldest modern republic. Along with Ethiopia, it was one of the two African countries to maintain its sovereignty during the Scramble for Africa. During World War II, Liberia supported the United States war effort against Germany, and in turn received considerable American investment in infrastructure, which aided the country’s wealth and development. President William Tubman encouraged economic and political changes that heightened the country’s prosperity and international profile; Liberia was a founding member of the League of Nations, United Nations, and the Organisation of African Unity.
How many non-Liberian Americans will be aware of let alone celebrate the Liberian Independence Day on July 26th? There’s a version of their national anthem on this website:
Here’s another version of the inspiring national anthem with visuals:
Could someone at the Republican National Committee have had an awakening from their anti-woke catatonic stupor worthy of a chapter in the often republished non-fiction book “Awakenings” by the late neuroligst Oliver Sacks? (The book was also made into a movie staring Robert DeNiro and playing a character based on Dr. Sacks. Robin Williams.)
Sack’s describes his experience as a doctor working with patients who were catatonic by administering a drug (L-DOPA) which brought them back for a sadly brief period of time to reality.
It turns out that a reminder about Liberia being founded by American and Caribbean slaves and their offspring would be quite appropriate for all Americans to be made aware of on their celebration of their own quest for independence and a new life.
While our country has much to be proud of, part of our history includes both the enslavement of on major group of human beings and the attempt, with Native Americans, to eradicate another, not even to mention the official treatment both by policy and practice to treat large segments of our population as second class citizens or worse.
It is not merely possible, but worthy of praise, for citizens of any country to not just be proud of its history where pride is justified, but just as proud that they aren’t afraid to admit to their ethical and moral failings.
The anti-woke mob wants to — and this is a fitting way to put it — whitewash our history and paint over aspects of our history that were and still are, to put it bluntly, evil. By promoting and propagandizing this way of distorted thinking, essentially lies, they can numb people into a kind of catatonia when it comes to seeing the evil MAGA leaders and many of their followers are still engaging in.
Related, yesterday’s blog: Is common sense on its deathbed in the United States?
