The Lie Called Independence Day

By Eugene Collins Jr. | Editors Voice | Collins The Brand

On July 4, 2026, I joined Live! Special on AOC Community Media in Lafayette to talk about the truth behind Independence Day, representation, and the lie America keeps asking Black people to celebrate.

The whole foundation of this day was built around taxation without representation. The moment white colonists felt they had no voice, they threw tea in the water, rejected the king, and decided they would govern themselves. But Black people have accepted far too much for far too long without real political power, real resources, or real representation at the tables where actual decisions are made.

I am from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and I know our history. The bus boycott model that inspired the nation started in Baton Rouge. Before Black people had political seats, we had economic power, and that power forced change. Somewhere along the way, we traded money for seats, and too many of those seats have not brought resources back to our communities.

So what independence are we celebrating when more people are on Angola Plantation today than before? What freedom are we honoring when every generation is still fighting the same fight: jobs and justice?

Our ancestors integrated schools, buses, workplaces, and voting booths. They created freedoms we are now living on. But the question is: what have we done with them?

At this 250-year mark, we must tell our young people the truth. This is not our holiday. Juneteenth is. And our fight is still about power, justice, and freedom.