Commemorate 1619-2026: 407 Years of Struggle

After the required nine states officially ratified the U.S. Constitution on March 4, 1789,

only white men who owned land could vote. If you were anything else, especially non-white, you were not valued or seen as human. During the 1787 Constitution Convention, it was determined that enslaved Africans were three-fifths of a person. The 14th Amendment in 1868 voided that distinction. It took an amendment to graft us into the constitution.

The great debate today focuses on immigrants and their birthright status. This past

Tuesday’s decision by the Supreme Court settled the question of birthright citizenship as it is

enshrined in the 14th Amendment. There are those who argue against it because they want the United States to be a pure white nation. The United States has never been a purely white nation.

This year, in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States

from Great Britain, we continue to see governmental idiocy reflected in the rhetoric espoused by many leaders. They neglect to see that the United States is a nation of people who have come from the global community. Except for Native Americans, everyone came to this nation from other places. Many Europeans came to America to escape religious persecution. Some people came from other countries to escape communist domination. People came through Ellis Island and other ports seeking freedom and new opportunities.

Enslaved Africans did not have the luxury of coming to the United States on the Mayflower

or through Ellis Island. Africans were brought to the New World in shackles and chains. The first official group arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. Enslaved Africans have been firmly

entrenched in the fabric of this land longer than the 250th semiquincentennial. The blood, sweat, and tears of the ancestors of enslaved Africans have been here for 407 years. Our ancestors fought in every war and led the Civil Rights Movement to demand equal protection and rights under the

law. We were instrumental in the election of the first African American President of the United States of America, the Hon. Barack Obama.

This July 4th, we commemorate African Americans in the United States. We celebrate every

achievement. Gratitude is expressed to the Lord for His faithful presence, as the “National Negro Anthem” declares: “Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand, true to our God, true to our native land.”

Amen.