THE FACADE OF LIBERTY
United States’ Independence Day is usually a hallmark of this country’s democratic republic, but the aura of today was more than daunting.
My afternoon began with me sitting on the soft grass with friends and their children as we waited for the parade to start. There was a great deal of positivity being shared, and it was excellent company to enjoy. Once the parade began, the wailing sirens of the fire engines and ambulances drove my head to the brink. I began to realize that the thousands of people in my vicinity were celebrating something beyond a normal republic—perhaps the emergence of a fascist state.
My thoughts spiraled to the firefighters who were assassinated just a week prior. That entire story became a blip in the media sphere, overshadowed by other dominating headlines that have led people to think ‘America First’ was not an allegory at all. How can we celebrate all these first responders if we cannot even provide them the resources they need or protect them in the line of duty? I began to question the sincerity of those celebrating around me as I started to understand how nationalism had been conflated with patriotism.
From a distance, I could hear bagpipers, and as they turned the corner, what followed resembled a uniform burial, something out of a dystopian novel. On the back of two separate vehicles were duly elected congressional officials who tried to mask the expressions of defeat that had followed just a day prior. These were men and women who had dedicated their lives to civil rights and advocating for their communities, only to be dragged through the mud by peers from across the aisle—as if fighting for their neighbors had become un-American.
Less than a month ago, two Democratic officials were targeted in their own homes by a political radical. One was assassinated along with her husband and dog. The other survived with serious injuries. And yet, the parade marched on.
As vehicles passed and tossed trinkets and candies to children, I couldn’t help but recall that 1 in 285 children are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20. Statistically, 1 in 6 of those won’t survive. Since 2020, only six new drugs have been developed for pediatric cancer, and only 4% of the federal cancer research budget goes to pediatric cancer.
In December 2024, Republicans removed legislation that would have:
• Renewed the priority review voucher program,
• Given the FDA authority to require companies to conduct new pediatric cancer trials using existing drugs,
• Guaranteed children on Medicaid access to out-of-state treatment.
Now that a reconciliation bill has passed, with the gutting of Medicaid, more children will die. And for what? It underscores the cruelty of this administration and the hypocrisy of using children like D.J. Daniel as political props. This was no longer a celebration, but a moment of clarity about the stakes of this fight.
Overwhelmed, I choked up behind my sunglasses. I found myself reflecting on masculinity. In my view, masculinity is based in vulnerability. If it were up to Charlie Kirk, masculinity would be “putting your emotions in a blender to make a purée,” and Jesse Watters might follow with, “drink it, but without a straw.” These are the men educating our youth—youth they exploit under the guise of patriotism, masked in Christian nationalism.
Then came a deeply ironic moment. A seven-year-old girl was in front of me, staggering and being belittled by a drunk man. She collapsed on the ground in front of her grandmother after being asked if she was okay. The grandmother clenched onto her, asking her older grandsons if they could get some water, only to be brushed off by them as if it were nothing serious. At that moment, I brought over a bottle of water and a fan, reassured the girl she would be okay, and asked the grandmother if she would like me to get medical help. The grandmother obliged.
I beeline toward police officers, having to ask a couple if they could move their chairs as I needed assistance from the officers. It was met with resistance, and I was instructed to bypass them. First, I am watching a man poke fun at a young girl who is having a case of heat stroke, then witness those around me disregard this girl who is not only weak and incoherent but also potentially dying, and to have another set of adults completely blind to the situation not understand the urgency of needing help from first responders speaks to larger issues within our communities. I believe this also provides more insight into the political peril we face today.
Once the officers were able to assist, I sat down. It seemed like forever until the paramedics arrived. Fifteen minutes had elapsed until she was treated. In between that time, I realized I had not seen anyone wearing ‘Make America Great Again’ apparel. Shortly after that thought, I was proven wrong. A man on the back of a float wearing a backwards white hat with gold lettering reflecting the same slogan was toasting the crowd with his Stanley stainless steel cup. All the while, this little girl is falling further into unconsciousness, and the response time of paramedics was a glimpse into a system that will only be broken further in this country by this administration.
The satire of that moment was that he was the only person out of thousands I saw wearing political propaganda. This moment reflected the political trolls that run the roost, only to poke fun at underprivileged people of this country and those with differing, non-bigoted opinions. This man was a product of the rhetoric from the political party currently in power. This so-called ‘mandate’ allows this administration to do as it pleases, and this moment captured the indifference, the cruelty, and the disconnect. He was the only one visibly displaying political affiliation, and yet his presence reinforced a troubling truth: those in power care more about pageantry than people. Indicative of a much greater problem, the idea that nationalism prevails over patriotism. He felt it necessary to stand on his political beliefs on a day that reflects more than politics, which leads me to believe many have lost the plot of America.
What was left in my head after this experience was the notion of fighting. As we sat there enjoying the freedoms we have been granted, people were being shackled and led to their imminent death. I am attending a parade while Latin Americans are being rounded up and sent to places like CECOT and a concentration camp in Florida. A concentration camp that is being advertised by Republican congressmen and right-leaning journalists as a death camp, and openly rooting for immigrants to be eaten by wild animals. Asian asylum seekers are being trafficked to places they have never been to, like Sudan. People who have done the legwork to obtain legal documentation, only to have their documents revoked and inevitably become statistics, are suffering. Others are following their legal obligations in attending their immigration hearings to remain in good legal standing, only to be kidnapped outside of the courtroom. Many others are being snatched up off the street in broad daylight. It’s as if crossing the border is treated with the same level of outrage and urgency as arresting someone for shooting an elected official in the back of the head. There is a purge of humanity underway, and I sit in silence savoring what remains of the luxuries of being an American.
As the sun set and smoke of fireworks clouded in the distance, red bursts of light illuminated the night sky—echoes of battles once fought over far less, like taxation without representation. These moments inspired the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner and are meant to remind us of a nation born in pursuit of liberty and justice for all. Independence Day should reflect freedom, dignity, and inclusion, honoring people of all backgrounds and beliefs. It is a day when free people should act on their fundamental rights—to live without the fear of simply living. But on this day, July 4, 2025, Lady Liberty wept, as we slipped further into a masquerade falsely hailed as the Golden Age of America.