Whether it’s the overturning of Roe v. Wade, disagreement on gun laws or experiences with discrimination against LGBTQ+ and people of color, some Portland residents have decided to forgo the parades, parties and American flag-flying that comes with the July Fourth holiday.
A sampling of about 20 people attending the Public Healing and Action event Saturday at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland found many of them in a contemplative mood about the state of the country. Others said they’d rather not comment.
As debate rages over personal freedoms, The Oregonian/OregonLive asked people whether they’re celebrating July Fourth this year, why or why not and what freedom means to them.
“It just feels kind of like there’s not a lot to be celebrated right now,” said Travané Franklin, 24. “The way this country treats a lot of its citizens, it seems like a lot of people are regarded as disposable.”
Franklin said the holiday was never something that aligned with their identity as a gay, Black person. Franklin referenced the country’s troubled history of uprooting Indigenous people and the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Roe v. Wade as primary reasons for not celebrating. The nation’s top court overturned the nearly 50-year-old nationwide right to abortion.
Meanwhile, a House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection has been holding public hearings that show how close the United States came to a constitutional crisis when former President Donald Trump refused to admit election defeat.
All of this comes as rising inflation fuels a slump in the broader economy, with businesses raising prices on everything from food to clothing, and Americans face uncertainty with travel.
The latest poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that President Joe Biden’s approval rating remains at 39%, the lowest since taking office and a steep slide from 59% one year ago. Only 14% of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, down from 44%.
Franklin said one of the most important components of freedom is the freedom to choose and express who you are, which they feel is not supported in this country.
Kelsey Peterson said she hasn’t celebrated the Fourth for a couple of years.
“I think Roe v. Wade is one of the big reasons people aren’t celebrating, and while I haven’t been in the past, the decision has made my feelings stronger,” she said.
Peterson, 29, has been opposed to the holiday because of its history, including the displacement of Indigenous people and the role of dominant white culture.
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority, bolstered by three appointees of former President Donald Trump, also expanded gun rights and issued major religious rights rulings.
The high court is the most conservative it has been since the 1930s, despite this week’s addition of Ketanji Brown Jackson, who shattered a glass ceiling as its first Black female justice. Jackson helps form the most diverse court in its 232-year history.
“I think the Fourth of July commemorates a lot of really exploitative and harmful things that our nation was built on, and I don’t feel comfortable uplifting it,” said Peterson, who is white.
Other Portlanders separate the holiday from the country’s political landscape.
“The Fourth of July I think celebrates a lot of things in this country and can even celebrate people who may have found freedom here when coming from other countries,” said 21-year-old Zoe Summers. “I think it’s more than just women’s rights, but at the same time, I won’t be flying an American flag or anything like that.”
For military veteran Michael Hunter, the holiday is “more about patriotism now, and that’s something I don’t subscribe to anymore.”
“The Fourth of July doesn’t represent freedom for everyone,” he said, “it’s only freedom for some.”
Since retiring from the Navy, he’s felt worse about the holiday, he said. As a Black man, he’s gotten respect from people only after they learn he’s a veteran, he said.
“It’s heartbreaking to come back to a country that doesn’t respect people who look like you,” Hunter said. “True freedom is to be our authentic selves without being oppressed and that’s something we don’t have here.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; (503) 319-9744
