The COVID-19 virus, police brutality, and a missing US Soldier don’t seem like things to celebrate the freedom of this country. Like honestly, read the room, there is nothing worth celebrating there. I have seen a lot of things about how we should not celebrate the 4th of July this year amid everything going on around the country. I mean we have mass unemployment, which is likely to lead to mass homelessness, we have completely bombarded our healthcare system, and we have had protests that echo those that went on during the civil rights movement. What is there to be proud of right now?
I understand that things feel very doomsday like right now, but I think there is still a way to celebrate. Do I think we should all go out and buy fireworks and scream ‘Merica everywhere? NO. In case you are looking for a way to contribute, a way to control what you can about the devastating situations going on in the country right now, I have you covered. Here are four different ways to celebrate our Independence Day.
1.Wear Your Mask
Honestly, just use it. Whatever your plans are for the 4th please just wear a mask everywhere. In my state they are mandatory, but if you are somewhere where they aren’t mandatory still make it a practice to go anywhere with one. As a woman who wears makeup and is claustrophobic, I understand their inconvenience, but it’s worth the trouble. I, for one, do not want to be under lockdown again and if wearing a mask is one way to prevent that from happening, I will pay that price. Just please use your mask I don’t know how else to put it.
2. Educate Yourself on Current Events
Another great way to celebrate this year is to make sure you are as informed as possible. With so many news outlets, you have to try to be ignorant about the world we live in. I personally do not like watching the news, but I listen to podcasts, public radio, and follow news pages on social media. I know it can be overwhelming to hear about everything from multiple sites and outlets. My advice is to find what works for you and stick to it. For example, as I am getting ready for work, I listen to NPR through my smart speaker, on my way to work I listen to The Daily podcast from the New York Times, and I follow my local newspaper on social media. This works for me because often they all have different stories that they are informing about and it is all relevant and I can be productive while I catch up with the news.
3. Support Minority Owned Business
This 4th of July support your local paletero, elotero, and raspado person. A great way to celebrate the freedom in this country is to financially support those who are working outside during the summer with no benefits, no days off, and no guaranteed paycheck. Support not only the food vendors but support the small businesses that are minority owned. This can be by buying from an Etsy shop, buying books written by black and brown authors, and from local farmers markets and flea markets. It’s easy to show support on social media and talk about how it is important to support small business, but for those businesses the biggest impact is buying their products. If you’re looking for some businesses to support right from your phone below are some Instagram pages to visit once you are done with this blog post.
@shopdesertmoon
@morenanproud
@hijadetumadre
4. Sign All the Petitions
By now we have all seen the signs urging us to sign petitions, and I know it can be difficult to see that they contribute to change. However, we have seen officers fired, arrested, and held accountable. That is a huge milestone on its own. We know the power lies in those who band together. Show support for the pressing issues we are facing right now. Don’t know how to get to the petitions? No worries, I have three links to some of the petitions that you can sign right now! The explanations were taken from the petition pages.
Justice for Vanessa Guillen – http://chng.it/hPBHfQBrYH
“Vanessa Guillen is a 20- year-old Soldier stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. She was last seen on April 22 at 1p.m. in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters on Fort Hood. She is of Hispanic descent, five feet, two inches tall, 126 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.”
Justice for Breonna Taylor – http://chng.it/bC89jwSNPf
“Breonna Taylor was an award-winning EMT and model citizen. She loved her family and community, working at two hospitals as an essential worker during the pandemic.
Nearly four months ago, a division of the Louisville Police Department performed an illegal, unannounced drug raid on her home. Not a single officer announced themselves before ramming down her door and firing 22 shots, shooting Breonna 8 times, killing her.
Not only were the police at the WRONG HOUSE, but the man they were looking for had already been arrested earlier that day.”
Justice for Mia Khalifa – http://chng.it/7xH7qgDJXh
“The now 27-year-old Mia Khalifa appeared in the porn industry for a short span of 3 months in 2014 at the then age of 21. She was only paid $12k from the millions of dollars that Pornhub and BangBros make off her videos.
The infamous hijab video has collected ISIS death threats that have targeted Mia from the video’s release in 2014 to today. Mia attends therapy on a consistent basis for trauma, emotional distress, and consequences of bullying.”
Thank you all for coming to Listen To Your Latina. I hope you enjoyed these alternative ways to celebrate Independence Day. Please be safe if you are going out or getting together with people. Let me know how you plan to celebrate this year?
Listen To Your Latina 
What an insightful post! Yes! To all you said!💙
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