Did Y'all Know Everyone's Free Here?
Photo credit: I took this photo of a banner at the Forest Park library in Cincinnati, June 2025.
Today we are going to talk about freedom and I want to share a little history, so please bear with me.
On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves in America were now free. But this great news did not reach everyone right away. Some slave owners refused to tell their slaves and kept them in bondage until Union soldiers finally arrived to Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 and announced that they were free. That was 160 years ago today.
Around that same time, French historian and abolitionist Edouard de Laboulaye proposed a monument to commemorate the upcoming centennial of U.S. independence(1876), the perseverance of American democracy and the liberation of the nation's slaves. In 1886, our beautiful gift from France arrived and was installed and dedicated in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and carries a tablet in her left hand inscribed with the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence: JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals). With her left foot she steps on a broken chain and shackle, commemorating the abolition of slavery following the Civil War. She is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.
She still stands in New York Harbor today, but she needs our help to protect the freedom and democracy that she stands for. I’m not sure if you have noticed, but our freedoms are under attack, so it seems like a good time for a reminder of the freedoms and rights we are promised in our Constitution. The Founding Fathers established three main principles on which our Federal Government is based: 1) Inherent rights, or rights that anyone living in America has; 2) Self-government, or Government by the people; and 3) Separation of powers. The Constitution created an executive branch, a legislative branch and a judicial branch to set up a system of checks and balances. All three branches would have power so no one branch could become more powerful than another.
Let’s examine the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and see how well we are upholding these rights in 2025. The First Amendment includes: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.
Freedom of religion means you are free to believe whatever you believe and practice your faith or lack of faith according to your own traditions and rituals(so long as you are not harming other people or violating their rights in the process). Freedom of religion is NOT forcing your beliefs or expectations on everyone else around you through legislation, controlling school curriculum, or banning people of other faiths from entering our country.
Freedom of speech means you can say whatever you want to anyone even if it is false, offensive, or inappropriate. Most of us learn as children that saying certain things to certain people leads to negative consequences such as hurting someone or making someone mad. So, we realize that just because we CAN say anything doesn’t mean that we SHOULD. However, we still have the right to speak freely. Today, there are people in power trying to silence our freedom of speech. We must not let them silence us.
Freedom of the press ensures that people who produce printed and electronic media are free to publish whatever they want without government overreach and censorship(see freedom of speech above). Of course, this freedom along with the freedom of speech has led to much false information being passed off as truth. Many people blame the media or press for much of what is wrong in the world today, and the spread of misinformation has definitely been detrimental to our culture. However, we still need our press and we need to protect their freedom to report the truth or their version of the truth so we can be informed and discern what we choose to believe. In America, a crucial group of journalists has provided access to the White House and coverage of the presidency for over eleven decades. In the past five months, their important work has been threatened as the current president is removing some media sources from the press pool and hand-picking those who are allowed to ask him questions.
Freedom of assembly is the freedom to gather on public property, including parks and sidewalks, to engage in activities such as protests, festivals or planning meetings. This right is being exercised with large and small gatherings all over our country in 2025. Many Americans are expressing disapproval of the actions of the current administration, especially regarding immigrants as well as the sudden removal of jobs, research and vital programs and funding that millions of Americans depend on. The majority of us oppose violence and are speaking out in a peaceful manner. But we have been threatened by the current president and his unqualified cabinet with sending in troops which escalated the situation in Los Angeles last week.
A U.S. Senator was manhandled and arrested for simply trying to ask questions about why the Department of Homeland Security was trying to remove elected officials in California. Other legislators were murdered and attacked in their homes in Minnesota with even more on a kill list. Legislation is passed to suppress voting and to ban certain types of health care. But none of these actions or threats will silence us. We will continue to fight for the American dream of liberty and justice for all until it becomes a reality.
Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
He also said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”
Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if you obey them. Keep only these and you will find that you are obeying all the others.” Matthew 22:37-40
“Do not take advantage of foreigners in your land; do not wrong them. They must be treated like any other citizen; love them as yourself, for remember that you too were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.” Leviticus 19:33-34