mokie: A package of meat wishes you happy holidays (holiday tribal)
You might have noticed that America gets pretty hot and bothered about freedom.

Not only do our politicians go on and on and on about it - a tax on snacks is a violation of our freedom, forcing parents to vaccinate is a violation of their freedom, withholding a crappy movie because another country objects* is a violation of our freedom - but we wave flags throughout the year because freedom! The day our founders flipped England the bird, the day we honor soldiers** who died defending our freedom, the day we honor soldiers who didn't die defending our freedom, the day we honor the flag that represents our freedom...

Naturally we would be totally on board with National Freedom Day, the day that celebrates the freedom of all Americans, right?

So why have you (probably) never heard of it?

Veteran (yeah!), entrepreneur (yes!), civil rights advocate (oh f...) and former slave (oooh...) Richard R. Wright, Sr. wanted to commemorate the freedom of all Americans. He (or the committee he organized) suggested February 1st, since it was on that date in 1865 that Lincoln signed into law the Thirteenth Amendment:
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
(If you're familiar with America's profitable private prison system, you know just how far 'as punishment for crime' has been stretched, and how far we have yet to go.)

I'm not saying that National Freedom Day isn't a federal holiday because the North was twitchy about pouring salt in old wounds, or because white America doesn't like being reminded that we have been, collectively speaking, royal dicks to other races and nationalities.

No! See, February is already religiously complex...


* As opposed to withholding a movie because it's crap, which happens all the time.

** Unbunch all panties! My point isn't about the military and soldiers, but our national rhetoric. When was the last time you heard a newscast, particularly on Memorial or Veterans Day, that didn't immediately follow up 'solders' with 'defending our freedom'?

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