Billy Binion (“Juneteenth is a Celebration of Freedom,” Reason, June 19) writes that, despite widespread right-wing aversion to Juneteenth as a holiday, the GOP “in some sense still fashions itself as the party of freedom.” Matt Yglesias is most famous these days for his almost daily garbage takes; but years ago, back when the Republican progression toward fascism had gone no further than the Tea Party stage, he aptly commented on the incoherence of right-wing conceptions of freedom: I continue to be fascinated by the way in which the rhetoric of “freedom” is always so closely associated with authoritarian populist nationalist movements. Absolutely nothing in the imagery of the video or the policy agenda of the Republican Party is suggestive of freedom. It’s full of flags and grim-faced folks and bourgeois respectability and military jets flying in tight formation. It’s an ad from a conservative politician that’s about exactly what an ad from a conservative politician ought to be about — about preserving a way of life against Muslims, freeloaders, sexual deviants, and other threats. Whenever the white, right-wing, and Evangelical demographic talks about its “freedoms,” you can get a good sense of what they mean by “freedoms” by translating...

October 7 ... Opal Lee is a lifelong educator, activist, and community leader whose work has profoundly shaped American society, particularly through her relentless advocacy for the recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday. Listen to this story: Born on October 7, 1926 in Marshall, TX and raised in Fort Worth, Lee experienced the

Opal Lee è l'attivista che ha portato gli Stati Uniti a riconoscere il Juneteenth, il 19 giugno, come festa nazionale.

President Donald Trump's sneering comment on Juneteenth — a federal holiday honoring the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans — is haunting him on Labor Day. The comment — captured in a screenshot and logs of Trump's past social media posts — was hurled back at the White House when it tried to pay homage to American workers. "This Labor Day, we honor the grit, skill, & spirit of the American worker," the White House stated. "American workers deserve a government that fights for them - the Trump Admin is delivering. To workers across America, thank you." The responses were seething, and often featured this message from Trump: "Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed. The workers don’t want it either! Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump did not make the comment recently, as former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested earlier this week, but on June 19, 2025 — Juneteenth. That did not stop Headquarters, the social media account of former Vice President Kamala Harris'...