Protests surged nationwide on July 4 in a collective call for a better America
Independence Day in the United States saw thousands and thousands of protesters eschewing the typical traditions of relaxed grilling and celebration to instead continue the fight against racism and violence against Black people with inspiring marches, speeches, and demonstrations all across the nation.
With the coronavirus pandemic still holding the country in its grasp and many people forgoing large, unsafe gatherings, protesters continued to come together as they have been for more than a month to tell the world that Black lives matter and the racist, abusive, violent police departments all across the U.S. need to be reformed, defunded, and abolished.
Many shared videos and photos online of protests still going strong in their cities, from New York City to Oakland to Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed by police in May, sparking protests that are still going strong 40 days later.
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A video taken on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. perfectly shows the duality of the day as police in riot gear stand ready with shield and weapons amid protests while fireworks pop brightly in the dark sky overhead.
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Activist and community leader K. Wyking Garrett led a group of demonstrators in moment of silence for people who have been killed by police in Seattle. Earlier in the day, Summer Taylor, 24, was killed when a man drove his car into a crowd of protesters in Seattle, leading to further anger and heartbreak across the country as inaction on the part of elected officials and police departments continues to inspire demonstrations.
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Calls for defunding the police rang clear elsewhere in D.C. as marchers filled streets.
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In Oakland, protesters marched, loudly chanting "Black Lives Matter."
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Protesters in Orlando came out to march on city hall as rain poured down, not letting a thunderstorm earlier in the day dampen their resilience in the fight against injustice.
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Demonstrators came out across Los Angeles to stand in solidarity for Black people and victims of police brutality.
People came together in Atlanta to march and stand with the message of Black Lives Matter.
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In Boston, demonstrators coupled their marches with music for an inspiring show of solidarity.
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Skaters came out in the hundreds to roll together in Chicago to protest police brutality and stand with Black lives.
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Joshua Potash, who collected many of the videos above into an inspiring thread on Twitter, shared a video of massive protests in Nashville.
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People from smaller cities like Ventura, Calif. shared videos of their local communities coming together on Independence Day too, showing that this movement is still going strong outside of major metropolitan areas.
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Protests across the U.S. are still going strong all over the place, showing that people aren't going to back down in the face of the abusive, racist police departments and other institutions that have systemically targeted Black people.
Police departments with officers who have recently killed Black people, notably Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Elijah McClain, have largely taken little-to-no action against these officers, and that inaction continues to spark outrage and sustained demonstrations in support of Black lives and against the police. July 4 was just another day of justified action.
