“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.””
Galatians 5:13-14 NIV
According to the Word, before any American Declaration of Independence, each of us was called to freedom by God. Across the arc of human history, we have compromised one another, and failed in living out this birthright. Consequently, if we genuinely loved our neighbors as we love ourselves, our world would look dramatically different today.
On this day, like every day, I lean into the wisdom of the late visionary, Fannie Lou Hamer, who famously excoriated us, insisting that
“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
And, in the spirit of faith, spoke this truth…
“You can pray until you faint, but if you don’t get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it (freedom or anything else for which you seek God) in your lap.”
The legal status of Africans, and those descended from them, did not change on July 4, 1776. So, as a displaced African with no knowledge of my most distant heritage AND clear-eyed comprehension of my American history, proud daughter and granddaughter of fierce Texan women, on this day, I bid you peace. What are you willing to wage for it?
Chelle A Wilson 