Oh Say Can You See...

Ah, the Fourth of July. A time for gathering, grilling, and Whitney Houston's version of the Star-Spangled Banner.

What? You mean your family doesn't solemnly listen to the first track on Whitney's patriotic CD, then hold hands in a circle, sing "God Bless America," and make each person talk about what being an American means to them? Well I guess your family's just weird then.

I'm really not kidding about any of this. It's really touching and sweet, if only slightly humiliating. My parents are so proud to be in this country and to have raised their kids here, and they certainly enjoy spreading this joy, especially my Dad (even though I find it a bit ironic that he's been here since 1967 but never gotten around to applying for citizenship). We ended the evening with a resounding, out-of-tune version of the Indian National Anthem, Jonna Ghonna Monna. It was oddly reminiscent of Thanksgiving, where we have a similar ritual, during which my sister unfailingly chokes up when its her turn to talk about what she's thankful for. She usually gets as far as "I'm thankful for...for my family...sniffle..." She's adorable.

Afterwards, I headed out to Billy's for 80's night with my friend and former housemate Libby and crew (see picture above). It was fun. It was the first year I skipped fireworks for Duran, Duran.

This Fourth was also thought-provoking for me. My friend and supervisor at work is extremely socially-conscious, and very much an activist. She taught me about "Juneteenth," a celebration of African American freedom. In lieu of celebrating the traditional 4th-of-July festivities, she and her husband celebrate June 19th, the day of freedom from slavery for Black Americans in the south. It wasn't until well over 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Learning about that was a really enlightening experience. Few of us ever stop to think who's independence we're celebrating as the fireworks burst in the sky, and the French's mustard is piped over plump and sweaty hotdogs. Maybe next year I'll be celebrating on 6/19/05 instead...