Sunday, July 5, 2020
The fireworks were really an afterthought. After all, there was no place to go and see a professional show, a truly orchestrated masterpiece of display all building up to the grand finale. That would have been our preference. No, the fireworks came to us. Way too close to us. We were glad that our home was not one of several that caught fire in our city last night because of novices pretending to be professionals.
But then again this has been a sober, reflective celebration of Independence Day. It is fascinating to realize that the United States of America is one of a very few nations that celebrates its birth by the mere declaration that we are free and a new nation, while other nations celebrate the day they actually won their independence on the battlefield. Since that Declaration, our nation has envisioned and brought many things to reality that have indeed blessed the world. But our nation has also trafficked in slavery legally for 244 years, from 1619 to 1863, ironically the same number of years that we have been a nation as of yesterday. And we have struggled through the present day to overcome our racism and prejudice against Black men, women, and children. Many of our institutions and historical accounts perpetuate the myths and prejudices that cause us to redline sections of town where “they” live, arrest “them” much more often in identical situations, and refuse to hear “their” cries for the freedom we Caucasians take for granted.
Independence Day, however, will forever mean much more for me because this year I also celebrated Juneteenth, June 19, that day in 1865 that the last legally remaining slaves in the USA were declared to be free in Galveston Texas. And, in 1827, on July 4, the state of New York freed all its slaves as well. In fact, it was on the 25th anniversary of this date (moved to July 5 to avoid conflict with the Independence Day festivities) that the escaped slave and orator Frederick Douglass gave his speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” National Public Radio recently aired a seven-minute video of five of Douglass’ descendants reciting portions of this epic speech which can be found at https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july/. And, while these young people, ranging from 12 to 20 years of age, are eloquent and poised in their presentation, the entire speech is just a click away on the same page: at https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july/.
At the very end, Douglass quotes a magnificent poem from his friend and fellow abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. This poem casts the vision that I believe our nation must adopt and focus on to be truly godly and free. I was amazed that no one, to my knowledge, had ever set these powerful words to music, and so I celebrated Independence Day by investing the day writing a new tune to set this poem. The poem follows below:
God speed the year of jubilee
The wide world o’er
When from their galling chains set free,
Th’ oppress’d shall vilely bend the knee,
And wear the yoke of tyranny
Like brutes no more.
THAT YEAR WILL COME, and freedom’s reign,
To man his plundered fights again
Restore.
God speed the day when human blood
Shall cease to flow!
In every clime be understood,
The claims of human brotherhood,
And each return for evil, good,
Not blow for blow;
THAT DAY WILL COME, all feuds to end.
And change into a faithful friend
Each foe.
God speed the hour, the glorious hour,
When none on earth
Shall exercise a lordly power,
Nor in a tyrant’s presence cower;
But all to manhood’s stature tower,
By equal birth!
THAT HOUR WILL COME, to each, to all,
And from his prison-house, the thrall
Go forth.
Until that year, day, hour, arrive,
With head, and heart, and hand I’ll strive,
To break the rod, and rend the gyve,
The spoiler of his prey deprive —
So witness Heaven!
And never from my chosen post,
Whate’er the peril or the cost,
Be driven.
The first stanza of this hymn is superbly recorded by Dr. Zanaida Robles, the Director of Music at Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena. Amazingly enough, she sings all four voice parts. I hope the words of William Lloyd Garrison will bring you hope and quicken your steps as they have done mine. The recording is available at https://waltersaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/God-Speed-the-year-of-Jubilee.mp3.
In future blogs, I invite you to come on a trip with me to Mississippi and the National Conference of the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers that took place last year in Jackson, the capital city, a place that is good to come to in order to celebrate Juneteenth and Independence Day in a more complete way.