The 6 Best Ways to “Celebrate” Independence Day, Ranked

6. Don’t celebrate at all

Have yourself an old-school boycott and ignore the birth of this problematic-ass nation. July 4 might be a company holiday, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fire up your laptop and channel some passive-aggressive WFH productivity. Or hell, just run errands like any other off day. (Bonus points for trolling any patriots you encounter with genuinely quizzical curiosity.)

5. Throw or attend a Black BBQ

This has to be the Blackest of Black cookouts: Wakanda-forever salutes upon entry, dress code based on Pan-African colors, food purchased from Black-owned businesses only, and a Black-ass playlist that includes everything from Future to Funkadelic to (especially) “FDT.”

4. Maybe don’t light any fireworks

We got our fix back in 2020, fam.

3. Go to a protest

News coverage may be diminishing and social media feeds are slowly returning to previous vapid norms, but the fight against systemic racism ain’t over — and marches persist around the United States. Find one in your area, write yourself a powerful protest sign (or let your face mask do double duty), and put your boots to pavement for the cause.

2. Do everything you did on Juneteenth

Here’s a refresher.

1. Arrest and charge the cops who killed Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, and countless others

Liberty and justice for all, no? (And how about abolishing the police while we’re at it?) ✊🏾