The new national holiday of Juneteenth is worth acknowledging because it marks when the last of the slaves were emancipated years after the Civil War. But the left is seemingly trying to elevate this commemoration above that of July 4 and the birth of the country. This endeavor was on full display during Monday’s Juneteenth episode of ABC’s The View, with co-host Sara Haines arguing it was the “more authentic” “celebration” of “American freedom” than the Fourth of July is.
Haines began by opining about how she (and assumes others) “go into autopilot for a holiday” and don’t think about why they’re celebrating something, “even Fourth of July.” “That we were celebrating Fourth of July which was freedom of America, when freedom of American people didn't happen until Juneteenth,” she whined. “So, in some ways, the celebration feels more authentic on Juneteenth.”
Ironically, Haines said she feels “really silly at times;” not about what she just said but rather that she didn’t know about Juneteenth until relatively recently.
Co-host Joy Behar chimed in to admit she didn’t learn about it in school either and used the opportunity to peddle disinformation about a nonexistent effort to steal voting rights from black Americans:
Well, I didn't know it either. I mean, I confess. I was unaware of it. Which shows you how lacking our history is in this country, and how many people – You know, we should be aware on a day like this that voting rights are being systematically taken away from African-Americans and other people too in this country.
“You've got to be very, very careful,” she direly warned. “You can celebrate the day, which we do, but there are very important issues at stake here this year.”
This has been a recurring falsehood they’ve continued to peddle despite the fact voter turnouts have been increasing even in states that passed election integrity laws.
A short time later, mentally unstable and racist co-host Sunny Hostin proclaimed, “I love what I'm hearing[.]” She then recalled and touted how “my family never celebrated July 4” and seemed to take pleasure knowing “it was met with, like, so much shock” from the public.
“And it was because, you know, my father was a student of history. My mother a student of history,” she boasted, noting Frederick Douglass's ‘what is the Fourth of July to the slave?’ speech and the story of Juneteenth.
Keeping with the theme of history, Hostin continued to fearmonger with the false narrative that there was an effort to erase black history from schools in America in the form of the anti-Critical Race Theory movement. “And so what I would say, is yes, learn your history, but also be very vigilant when you hear about CRT, alleged CRT in your schools. Fight that,” she ordered.
Hostin seemed to channel then-Vice President Joe Biden from 2012 when he outrageously told black Americans Republicans were going to “put y’all back in chains.” She warned that we “have to make sure that past does not become prologue,” suggesting “we're seeing this sort of rollback of history.”
This push to unseat July 4 as the quintessential American holiday was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships Purina and DIRECTV. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
June 20, 2022
11:02:19 a.m. Eastern(…)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: But the question is how -- How can or how should other folks celebrate this day? How should other people help observe this day?
SARA HAINES: Well, one way – I feel awkward being the first one to speak right now. [Laughter] But the one way I look at each holiday is – I celebrate it through teaching my children, which they learn a lot as school, but I think as an adult, I forget how many times in life you go into autopilot for a holiday.
Like even Fourth of July, it was fireworks and watermelon. We didn't talk about the country and being free. We didn't discuss it. Then you have a Memorial Day pass and I always pause because my parents are veterans. But you forget – I will sometimes forget it's the people that lost their lives. It’s really thinking about why are we stopping today? And the kids have given me a knew excuse to look at the why. Like, why do I celebrate? Why do we celebrate this?
And I think, I have – Ever since I learned about Juneteenth, which wasn't as young as you probably did or anyone else, I learned a few years ago. And I was, like, “how did we not know about this?” That we were celebrating Fourth of July which was freedom of America, when freedom of American people didn't happen until Juneteenth.
So, in some ways, the celebration feels more authentic on Juneteenth.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah.
HAINES: It’s – But I do feel really silly at times that I didn't know that, you know, I was talking with Rebecca who does my makeup. She was, like, “Oh, we always talked about it and my parents would tell us,” and I was, like, “how was I living in this country not knowing that?”
JOY BEHAR: Well, I didn't know it either. I mean, I confess. I was unaware of it. Which shows you how lacking our history is in this country, and how many people – You know, we should be aware on a day like this that voting rights are being systematically taken away from African-Americans and other people too in this country. You've got to be very, very careful. You can celebrate the day, which we do, but there are very important issues at stake here this year.
So, it’s a good day to reflect on that I think.
(…)
11:05:29 a.m. Eastern
HOSTIN: I love what I'm hearing because I remember years ago even on this show, Whoopi and I were talking about it, and I said, you know, “my family never celebrated July 4.” And it was met with, like, so much shock.
And it was because, you know, my father was a student of history. My mother a student of history, and my father taught me very early on what Frederick Douglass's – what I thought was a famous speech –you know, what is the Fourth of July to the slave? It was not freedom to black people. It was – Black people were still enslaved.
And much like the history of Juneteenth, you know, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, yet it took 2 1/2 years for the slaves in Texas to even learn that they were freed.
GOLDBERG: Yeah. There were no cell phones.
[Laughter]
HOSTIN: There were no cell phones, you know? Men on horseback had to reach the soils of Texas to tell people, “by the way, you know, you don't need to work for free anymore. You're free.” And even with that knowledge, those slaves were still required to work for free through the end of the crop season because it was June 19.
So, I knew all of this history as a child.
ANA NAVARRO: You didn't learn it in school. You learned it in your family.
HOSTIN: I learned it from my family.
GOLDBERG: From your family.
HOSTIN: And so what I would say, is yes, learn your history, but also be very vigilant when you hear about CRT, alleged CRT in your schools. Fight that. You know? Fight so that your children know the true history of this country, warts and all. I think you have to make sure that past does not become prologue, because I feel that we're seeing this sort of rollback of history. And black history is American history, and we should embrace it.
(…)
