How Black artists are reclaiming the American flag

Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show on February 9, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. | Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Imagine your average Fourth of July party. There are probably hot dogs on the grill, everyone is clad in red, white, and blue, and it culminates in a fireworks show. It may sound like a lovely way to spend a day off. But for a lot of Americans, the celebration, and the flag itself, are more complicated than that. 

That’s the question that Explain It to Me...