 | | | | | | | Faith, In a famous speech, Frederick Douglass asked "What to the slave is the fourth of July?" He was speaking to the inability of Black Americans to celebrate a nation that is full of injustice and inequality that persists today. July 4th is typically a day to celebrate our shared history as Americans. But millions of you have raised your voices to clear the way for a more representative future. From taking down monuments that celebrate a racist past to calling lawmakers and pushing for more equitable policies — you are fighting for a better America today. | |  | | In a major victory, that was a long time coming, the Mississippi legislature voted to change the state flag and remove it's visual links to the Confederacy. Aunjanue started her petition to change the flag two years ago. In a 2018 op-ed in Newsweek, she explained that the state flag "demands disambiguation" - a separation from the state's racist past. Along with people on the ground in Mississippi — she gathered 40,000 signatures — her petition WON. The ongoing movement for Black lives and the outpouring of voices and actions from people like you helped clinch this incredible victory. In Kentucky, the statue of Jefferson Davis — a slave owner who served as President of the Confederate States — in the state capitol was torn down thanks to signatures from people like you. Kentucky resident Sarah announced the victory for her petition via an update to signers. Virginia's Farmville town council voted unanimously to remove the Confederate statue on High Street after more than 7,500 community members signed Chris's petition. | |  | | In Raleigh, North Carolina a petition started by Jemima and signed by more than 25,800 supporters convinced the governor to remove a 75-foot Confederate monument at the capitol. Another Raleigh resident, Karen, started a petition to have her middle school mascot changed. The school was named for Josephus Daniels, a segregationist who incited the actions that would become the Wilmington Massacre. Now, the school name will be a thing of the past: the county voted in favor of removing Daniels' name. Read about a victory in Warren County, North Carolina where LaDayzha and Jacqulea started a petition to remove a Confederate statue. In their decision, the county specifically named the pressure they received from the almost 300 people who signed the petition. New York City resident Kunanate describes a statue of Theodore Roosevelt that he petitioned — with the support of over 1,000 signatures — to be taken down: | |  | | Within weeks, the board of the Natural History Museum voted to remove the statue. These victories and the many, many more in your communities and on the Change.org platform are creating an America everyone can believe in. History is changing before our very eyes thanks to people like you. This 4th of July, celebrate the history you're making right now. Celebrate the America you're building and the legacy of anti-racism that you're leaving for future generations. You ARE America and we celebrate YOU! Thank you for all that you do, | |  | | P.S. Feeling inspired for a victory of your own? Make the change that you want to see in your community and start a petition here. | | | | | |
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