The road to freedom is not a pleasant path, to be walked in comfort or leisure. No, the road to freedom is a hard road, awash with the tears and blood of many. There are times when the road is wide and welcoming, yet even in the wide spaces, you can see that many are pushed off the road, are barred from entering. Other times, the road is narrow and twisted, as some use their own freedom to take away freedom from others, failing to understand that when injustice exists, freedom is absent.
For freedom to truly exist, for it to be a place, as opposed to a destination, everyone must be free. If at any point, when restrictions are placed upon any group of people, then those restrictions exist for all people. Take for example the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, it states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Fifty-two years ago African Americans fought a court battle to march 54 miles down Alabama State Highway 80 from Selma to Montgomery. Today the right to assemble is being systematically taken away as states pass legislation intended to curtail opposition voices from being heard.
After making a journey to Selma, reading the history of what occurred in the early parts of 1965, that it was unlawful for more than 3 people to meet and discuss voting rights. Law enforcement, arresting and beating African Americans as they lined up to register to vote. Killings, mass arrests, beatings with billy clubs, whips, cattle-prods. So much hate, hate that is just as visible today, and it is that hate that tears down the road to freedom. It is only when we use our freedom to ensure the freedom of everyone, that we are truly free.