I‘m currently on the beach in Playa del Carmen in Mexico with spotty internet and only a phone to type on so I’ll keep it short.

This is the third year now that we haven’t been home for the Fourth and this year especially, I’m not disappointed. While the idea of “freedom for all” has never been true, it rings particularly false this year.

At the end of Frederick Douglass’ “What to the slave is Fourth of July?” he speaks of hope and the inevitability of the end of slavery. Our progress has been painfully slow and oftentimes it doesn’t feel as if we’re moving forward at all. However, the latest current events, along with several SCOTUS rulings, make it feel as if we are moving backwards.

I remain hopeful that our country will live up to its ideals one day. But for now I’ll enjoy not spending the day being bombarded with symbols of freedom that mean so little to so many.