Ahead of the Fourth of July, Chance the Rapper shared a lengthy open letter to America, using the holiday to reflect on the country’s history, racial injustice and what true freedom should look like.
Inspired by Frederick Douglass’ historic 1852 speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?,” Chance flipped the question, asking instead, “What to the Fourth of July is Juneteenth?” in an Instagram post on Friday (June 3).
Throughout the post, the Chicago rapper criticized what he sees as America’s failure to fully reckon with its history while expressing hope that the country can still change.
“I love you for what you could be,” Chance wrote. “You are not the lies you tell, America. You are the choices you make.”
The Grammy-winning MC also took aim at what he believes is a growing effort to erase difficult parts of Black history from classrooms, writing, “Our children will not learn of the shipments to Jamestown in 1619. […] They will never know how many formerly enslaved and enslaved people died fighting […] for your freedom.”
Elsewhere in the letter, Chance referenced victims of racial violence, police brutality and historical figures including Crispus Attucks while calling for greater investment in education, truth and justice over celebration alone.
Despite the sharp criticism, the message ultimately ends on a hopeful note.
“I am you, America, so I love you,” he wrote. “Today marks the dawn of a new chapter in our love.”
Read Chance The Rapper’s letter to America in full below.
See Chance The Rapper’s Letter to America
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