This year, I will arrive in South Africa on July 4th.  While July 4th is not South Africa’s Independence Day, I believe that it is a great date for me to arrive and experience my first trip there.  For the  majority of South Africans, their independence occurred when apartheid ended in 1994, a fairly recent date in our lifetime.  In the 1970s and 1980s, college students and faculty members were the major voices of conscience pressuring the United States Congress and U.S. corporations to boycott South African goods and products in order to force an end to the apartheid policies.   I distinctly remember the shanty towns that were erected at my alma mater and other colleges across the country to protest the living conditions in South Africa. 

As I travel through South Africa on and around the time of this significant American holiday, I am aware of the sacrifices made by blacks and other minorities in South Africa in order to achieve equality and true democracy.  I am looking forward to my visit and will share my thoughts about the trip after I return.

As you enjoy picnics, parades, and time with family and friends tomorrow, I encourage you to take a moment to salute our nation’s flag.  I also hope you will pause remember those who have sacrificed their lives to protect the freedoms for which it stands, consider those around the world who have only recently been granted the rights and freedoms that we enjoy as Americans, and remember that there are others still struggling under governments that refuse to provide those fundamental rights to their citizens.

On this day as on all others, we should all be proud to be Americans.

My opinion is that July 4th holiday activities have not changed that much for Americans.  There are picnics, parades, fireworks demonstrations, and more.  My family reunion is now held the weekend before July 4th so that our larger family can avoid traveling on one of the heaviest travel weeks of the summer.  We usually celebrate the fourth with friends, and it’s almost always at a picnic with fireworks later in the evening.

How thankful are we today for the many freedoms that we take for granted.  On a daily basis, we receive broadcasts of wars, natural disasters, politics, scandals, layoffs, etc.  My grandfather and his siblings lived through many wars (Spanish-American, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War), a great depression, and many great technological innovations (automobile, electricity, airplanes, man on the moon, atomic energy and weaponry).  Despite the ups and downs, they were always grateful for what they had achieved and received.  I suggest that we consider the freedoms that our ancestors and subsequent generations of Americans have fought for, and whenever possible, especially on July 4th, thank those Americans who protect our freedoms today.

Happy Fourth of July!