On the So-Called “250th Anniversary” of this Godforsaken Country
By: Ava Borromeo
In the year of 2026, people living in the United States of America are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The historic signing is meant to symbolize the newfound independence from Britain and becoming a sovereign nation. But to whom is this nation sovereign? The men involved in that moment of history still owned slaves at the time of signing the Declaration of Independence; it was not until 1865 that slavery was “abolished”. Let’s be clear–the passing of the 13th amendment did not abolish slavery, rather it was a reform on slavery.
The 13th amendment states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The language used in the 13th amendment demonstrates how blatant they are with their cruelty and disregard for humanity. Slavery exists in the form of mass incarceration and policing and as Michelle Alexander says—it is Jim Crow reincarnated. The breakage of ties from Britain was won through a fight toward freedom. But, our sovereignty and self-determination will arrive in the form of revolution. Freedom is a constant struggle, we live it everyday, but we are disciplined in our organizing efforts to build true power. We have never and will never stand for the cruelty of the State.
So, while the so-called founding fathers signed the declaration on July 4th, 1776, we–the colonized masses–were still subjected to the cruelty and violence at the hands of the State. The State can be experienced through things such as policing. There has been a mass shooting epidemic in the United States with school shootings being at the top of the list. I was in high school when the Parkland High School shooting occured. A student sitting behind me in my biology class told me personally that he was going to be the next school shooter. He had a list of demographics that he was targeting and told me that since I am Filipina and queer that I would be shot.
I reported the incident to the principal and because of their protocol I had to make a statement to the school resource officer (SRO). An SRO is just a cop occupying the school system, but they put a fancy title to normalize the fact that police officers and federal agencies will continue to surveil us. I made my statement to the cop and had already stated to him and the principal, multiple times, that this needed to stay anonymous. Not even two hours later I heard through the grapevine that the cop told the student it was me.
His violence was practically celebrated and I was made out to be an “attention-whore” who wanted to start up the Salem Witch Trials at our school. Those words were used by students and parents to describe me. As a seventeen year old, I did not know that this experience was violence at the hands of the State. The State encourages the type of violence that I faced. The origins of Western society is rooted in brutality and barbarity. But, because of narrative distortion and straight up lies that we are constantly being fed, I did not know that what I experienced was considered State violence until I began university. The State exists as those we do not elect and it is designed to protect the interests of the colonizer. All of this is intentional.
One would think that becoming a sovereign nation after being under the hands of another would mean that lessons would be learned. That this country would not follow in Britain’s footsteps. What happened and is still happening is quite the opposite. America is one of the leading historical and global powers. We have seen this countless times from the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. But, while this nation is considered one of the biggest historical and global powers, the true power resides in us–the people. Through study and action we have the capability to build pure people power; for the people and by the people.
My dad and his family immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Members of his family are what we consider the petty bourgeoisie meaning they are part of a social class that sits between the working class and the capitalists. Their careers allowed them to immigrate because many of the professionals in the United States were being killed in the Vietnam war. My grandparents experienced the colonial powers of Japan and the United States, and yet they praise this country for occupying other countries in the same way they did the Philippines. They operate under the mindset that they are superior to other members of the colonized and are therefore exempt from violence at the hands of the State.
They say that America is the “land of the free,” but to whom is that true? The colonized, oppressed, and disenfranchised do not get to experience that. And yet, we are conditioned to believe that if we “pick ourselves up by the boot straps” and get to work that we can be one of them. We get told that we must assimilate to fit in with Western standards. Through my time at university and now having been part of PJP for a year I have more clarity on how the State operates. My courses fell under my Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major, so not many students got to learn the hard truths of Western society.
While decolonizing the mind and body can be a violent process, organizing and being part of an organization has helped me digest things. I was hopeless in high school when Trump was elected for his first term. I was hopeless when I experienced violence at the hands of the State because the people who are held to high standards of protection did not protect me. I was hopeless when I found out that Roe v. Wade was overturned. Being in spaces like PJP has given me a lifeforce that I never thought possible. Organizing is the antidote. We must organize the unorganized masses, decolonize the mind and body, remain disciplined in building power, and know that our victory is coming.
