Nantucket’s July 4 meltdown: Elite church cancels Declaration reading over ‘whiteness’
On an island famous for hedge-fund fortunes, beachfront mansions and celebrity sightings, a church has apparently found a new villain to battle: the Declaration of Independence.
In a move that perfectly captures the mood of America’s luxury liberal enclaves, Nantucket’s Unitarian congregation has pulled the plug on a beloved Fourth of July tradition that had stood for a quarter century. For 25 years, island residents gathered to hear public readings of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. This summer? Not so much.
The reason offered by church leaders has left many Americans scratching their heads.
In a public letter, church officials explained that canceling the event was part of an ongoing effort to better understand “our own whiteness.” The letter argued that the rights and liberties outlined in America’s founding documents were historically applied unequally and often denied to nonwhite Americans.
America is in the midst of preparations for its 250th birthday celebrations, with communities across the country organizing events that commemorate the nation’s founding and the remarkable experiment in self-government launched in 1776. Yet on one of the nation’s wealthiest islands, church leaders concluded that a public reading of the very documents that inspired democratic movements around the world had become problematic.
Social media users wasted no time expressing disbelief. “If you know anything about Nantucket, you know that’s where the rich, privileged people live. Just another self important dem who thinks she’s important,” one commenter wrote, urging residents not to let “this idiot spoil your fun.” Another user quipped, “Nothing says ‘inclusive’ like canceling a national holiday.”
In a move that perfectly captures the mood of America’s luxury liberal enclaves, Nantucket’s Unitarian congregation has pulled the plug on a beloved Fourth of July tradition that had stood for a quarter century. For 25 years, island residents gathered to hear public readings of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. This summer? Not so much.
The reason offered by church leaders has left many Americans scratching their heads.
In a public letter, church officials explained that canceling the event was part of an ongoing effort to better understand “our own whiteness.” The letter argued that the rights and liberties outlined in America’s founding documents were historically applied unequally and often denied to nonwhite Americans.
America is in the midst of preparations for its 250th birthday celebrations, with communities across the country organizing events that commemorate the nation’s founding and the remarkable experiment in self-government launched in 1776. Yet on one of the nation’s wealthiest islands, church leaders concluded that a public reading of the very documents that inspired democratic movements around the world had become problematic.
Social media users wasted no time expressing disbelief. “If you know anything about Nantucket, you know that’s where the rich, privileged people live. Just another self important dem who thinks she’s important,” one commenter wrote, urging residents not to let “this idiot spoil your fun.” Another user quipped, “Nothing says ‘inclusive’ like canceling a national holiday.”
70-79, M
