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.”
Video Transcript
LUDACRIS: Because Juneteenth is my 4th of July.
- Oh yeah.
- Yes. Yes. Yes.
- June 19 is Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the liberation of slaves in the United States. On "The Talk," rapper Ludacris joined the women to explain why, in light of the nationwide protests over racism, the holiday is so important.
LUDACRIS: It is a reminder that our ancestors did not give up hope. There is so much that can be said in terms of, you know, when slavery ended and how we were left with nothing but just rised above it and continued to make something of ourselves and just the history of greatness.
- President Trump rescheduled his Tulsa campaign rally from the 19th to the 20th in honor of the holiday. But 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, quote, "very famous."
On "The Talk," Ludacris commented that this year's Juneteenth seems to have educated certain people, but he never specifically named Trump.
LUDACRIS: Man, this Juneteenth is going to be more emotional than any Juneteenth thus far, and I think a lot of people are getting educated that may not have understood exactly what Juneteenth was about and may have heard about it.
- Ludacris closed by discussing how anybody can celebrate the historic anniversary.
LUDACRIS: Whether you're just at home and you're just taking a moment and reading up and understanding more about our history or whether you're having a celebration the same as the 4th of July, you know, in terms of freedom because Juneteenth is my 4th of July.
