Bearing Witness to Fairness and Freedom- Part One

by Dr. Desmond Hartwell Murray

The temporal juxtaposition of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, signed on July 2, and July 4th American Independence Day bears witness to the centrality of fairness and freedom in civil human affairs. Though encoded in law and tradition, we must still ask the question – are our practices, our actual living and reality, fully consistent with fairness and freedom?

To be specific, is immunity for some, for anyone, from the processes of law and civil society fair and just? Is denying women personal autonomy over their bodies fair, just, and free? Is voter suppression consistent with freedom and fairness?

So, as we observe Independence Day, 48 hours in temporal juxtaposition to the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, I believe it is important, relevant, and urgent for us to think about whether America is fair, just, and free? Are we moving forward with boldness and courage along the ‘arc of the moral universe’ as envisioned by Martin Luther King, Jr? Or is America going backwards in reverse? Is America once again defaulting on its promissory note?

A threat to democracy is a threat to your civil rights and human rights. A threat to freedom is a threat to fairness and justice. In a civil society, no one is free unless we all are free. In a civil society, fairness is not partisan or parochial, extended only to some and not all.

Today, Independence Day 2024, I hear Langston Hughes ask, “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”

Today, Independence Day 2024, I hear Maya Angelou declare in poetic echoes of Paul Laurence Dunbar, “I know why the caged bird sings, the caged bird sings of freedom.”

Today, Independence Day 2024, I hear Dietrich Bonhoeffer say, “Freedom comes only through deeds, not through thoughts taking wing.”

Today, Independence Day 2024, I hear Nelson Mandela speak “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

Today, Independence Day 2024, I hear Toni Morrison reflect “I think freedom, ideally, is being able to choose your responsibilities. Not not having any responsibilities, but being able to choose which things you want to be responsible for.”

Come Tuesday, November 5, 2024, America will have a clear choice, retribution or freedom, anarchy or steps towards a more perfect, free and fair, union.

However, our full freedom does not come from one singular act or one single vote or election. Rather, freedom is a journey of mind, body, and soul, of YOUR choices made, YOUR deeds done, and YOUR responsibilities taken everyday. But, beyond that and even more, freedom is not just personal and spiritual, it is social and relational. It is about our responsibilities to ourselves and to others.

Finally, I invite you to contemplate the musical expression of Marley’s Redemption Song that echoed and immortalized the words of Marcus Garvey, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.”