On my first Fourth of July in the United States, I woke up in the morning, stretched and realized that my wife was still in bed. I asked if she was going to work. She said, "Oh, don't you know today is July Fourth?" I looked through our window.
Just about everybody in Fernley, Nevada, the town where we lived, was on their way to Main Street with chairs, umbrellas, drinks and snacks. I was confused. What were they going to celebrate? I was curious, too, so I got our camp chairs and headed out to join our neighbors.
That's when my wife told me what was going on: "July Fourth is America's Independence Day." I jumped out of my seat! This couldn't be true. Who could have colonized a great country like America? I thought colonization only occurred in Africa, where I grew up.
I didn't believe her. That was in 2014 — the year I found out that America was once a British colony, just like my native Ghana. I have had the privilege of seeing two ways of celebrating independence — and along the way have given a lot of thought to what independence really means.
America's fireworks: mind blown! In Nevada, during my first Independence Day, we sat on the sidewalk, listened to drummers set the beat and watched the parade of ordinary citizens, veterans, Native Americans in traditional garb, students. They marched and waved the American flag. Some were on horses, others in slow-moving cars and others on foot.
Later that evening I watched the fireworks broadcast on TV from Washington D.C. It .