Ludacris on celebrating Juneteenth: 'My Fourth of July'
Friday is Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the liberation of slaves in the United States. On The Talk, rapper Ludacris explained why, in light of the nationwide protests over racism, the holiday is so important.
“It is a reminder that our ancestors did not give up hope,” he said. “There’s so much that can be said in terms of when slavery ended and how we were left with nothing but just rise above it and continued to make something of ourselves and the history of greatness.”
Ludacris called Juneteenth “my Fourth of July” “in terms of freedom,” adding that, “this Juneteenth is gonna be more emotional than any Juneteenth thus far.”
It already has become a political flashpoint. President Trump rescheduled his Tulsa campaign rally from Friday to Saturday in honor of the holiday. And in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, he claimed “nobody” knew about the long-running holiday, adding that now, thanks to his rally, he made it “very famous.”
On The Talk, Ludacris commented that this year’s Juneteenth seems to have “educated” certain people, but he never specifically named Trump.
“I think a lot of people are getting educated that may not have understood exactly Juneteenth was about,” he said with a chuckle.
The rapper suggested a few ways to honor the holiday, from thoughtful introspection to traditional celebration. “Whether you’re just at home and just taking a moment and reading up and understanding more about our history,” he said, “or whether you’re having a celebration the same as the Fourth of July.”
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
