Dear Net Buddies and Blazers,
Today is July 4th, Independence Day in the United States. As you have experienced from South Africa’s holidays during lockdown, celebrations everywhere this year are different than usual. This holiday, in particular, will be a challenge for many Americans.
As many white Americans are coming to realize, despite being declared free and equal time after time, that people of color have not enjoyed the same freedom and opportunities despite sharing the same country and communities. True independence has proven to be the struggle of generations. Some days there are wins to celebrate, more often the collective struggle requires superhuman resilience to get up and fight another day.
And while the collective effort to forge our communities and countries into places where we can all build lives of dignity and security, the daily struggle to support our families continues. While we may often feel the effort expended by our muscles and minds exceeds the results we obtain, we stand tall knowing we are strong and committed to continue. In the words of your own President Mandela, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”