MSNBC’s Ali Velshi says opposition to Juneteenth bill is “just semantics.”

Last updated on June 22nd, 2021 at 07:33 am

On Saturday morning, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi and two panelists discussed the bill making Juneteenth a national holiday. They also talked about critical race theory and Republican opposition.

Velshi accosted opposition to the Juneteenth bill from Republicans concerned about the inclusion of “independence” in the holiday title. Primarily because Juneteenth is an Independence Day for slaves finally freed from servitude in Texas

This morning the segments broke down the choices GOP officials made on Critical Race Theory in K12 education. A theory that, as both panelists outline, students mostly discuss in graduate education.

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Panelist and host Roland Martin watered this down to the political strategy at play.

“This is a white nationalist strategy,” Martin said. “It’s an election strategy.”

Today, guests also critiqued GOP officials for their creation of laws meant to suppress education. Bills like those in Texas, Velshi noted, could keep teachers from talking about Juneteenth’s history.

Rutgers professor Brittney Cooper, Ph.D., hammered home a secondary reality — the culture war strategy.

“These folks wanna tell a white-washed version of history,” Cooper said. “History does not ultimately go to these losers.”

Even so, conservative actors hold power in state legislatures and a filibuster on the national level. Moreover, a white nationalist minority has control over what their history is. Organizations like the Daughters of the Confederacy have made it so.

Nevertheless, Juneteenth National Independence Day is the first new national  holiday since 1983.

Ivy Lyons

I’ve enjoyed being an excitable “Gen Z Themfluencer,” working in politics, writing as a student journalist, and discussing what matters most. I currently produce and host podcasts, contribute to hyper-local news outlets and continue my education as a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland.