National Public Radio (NPR) drew mixed reactions Monday after it announced that it was departing from its normal 4th of July tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence.
Opting instead to assess what equity means to residents of the United States. “Morning Edition” co-host Leila Fadel tweeted, “important segment about our past and future.”
For more than three decades, the publicly-funded network has read the Declaration of Independence which was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The document announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain.
“Really good segment next year would love to see both,” tweeted one user.
“No, the Declaration has deeply offensive and racist terms in it that should not be broadcast as if it’s some sort of historical treasure to be repeated ad nauseam,” tweeted another user. “There’s no reason to repeat those words out loud on air.”
According to Newsweek, a survey conducted in advance of this year’s Independence Day holiday has found the amount of people who said they are “extremely proud” to be Americans is at a record low.
