“If we can liken life ...

to a furnace,

then freedom is

the fire which burns away

illusion.

Any honest examination of

the national life

proves how far we are

from the standard of

human freedom

with which we began.

The recovery of this standard

demands of everyone

who loves this country to take

a hard look at himself,

for the greatest achievements

must begin somewhere, and

they always begin

with the person.”

— James Baldwin, 1959

Happy Fourth of July