The Fourth of July Beyond Beers, Picnics and Baseball Games

Independence Day

As an exiled Oromo living in the United States, I understand and appreciate the American people who celebrate the Independence Day. Beyond every glamorous celebration, there are always heroes in any free society, who sacrificed their lives, property, knowledge and skills for freedom and justice.

American good friend of mine forwarded me an email message, on which the title of this article is based.

I quote the email forwarded to me in order to highlight what happened to some of the 56 American men from all walks of life, who signed the Declaration of Independence:

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,and their sacred honor.

In essence, Americans lived under the oppressive British colonial rule before the founding fathers--through bitter struggle-- led the people to the Independence Day they long yearned for.

Walt Whitman

I capped my Fourth of July weekend with a museum tour of the Walt Whitman Birth Place, one of the nationally registered historic places in New York, USA. This museum contains Walt Whitman's amazing poetry books, manuscripts and historic artifacts circa 1819.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. His major works included Leaves of Grass, which is considered controversial at his time. His poetry work dealt with issue relating to the American Civil War.

Besides his poems centered, inter alia, around the themes of democracy, abolition of slavery, he wrote a famous poem titled "O Captain! My Captain!" in memory of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Lincoln was his contemporary and Whitman is said to be his admirer. Read more about Poet Walt Whitman's biography at http://www.waltwhitman.org/about/about-whitman

Oromia Comaprison to the Pre-Indpendence America

The Oromo people of South Ethiopia, who are to date under the oppressive Abyssinian colonial rule, deserve freedom and national representation. Freedom for the Oromo people in Ethiopia can be earned via visionary and practical Oromo heroes who pledged their lives for freedom.

There will come a day when the struggles of Oromo people and other oppressed peoples will result in freedom; and the heroes earn the people the freedom they lost and write own Declaration of Independence in the Horn of Africa. To this end, the Oromo people ask for the support of every American freedom lover and especially from the US government.

Notes:

Photo taken by author during Barack Obama's Preliminary Presidential Election Campaigns in late 2008