Rep. Forhan Condemns Republican Presidential Candidate for Comments on Juneteenth

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Elliot Forhan (D-South Euclid) today condemned the comments made by Ohio-native GOP presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, for calling for the elimination of Juneteenth, calling it a “useless” holiday in a conversation with Iowa voters last Saturday.

“We celebrate ‘Juneteenth’ to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Under the leadership of great Ohioans like Union generals, Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, we were successful in the Civil War. This history is our heritage and deserves to be celebrated. Vivek Ramaswamy’s comments are an insult to our Black community which is still seeking racial equality 158 years later, and all Ohioans whose state played a leading role in defeating the Confederacy in the Civil War,” said Rep. Forhan.

Since Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, it has served as a moment to celebrate the anniversary of when Union troops arrived in Texas and announced that a quarter-million of Black slaves had been freed by executive decree. Today we celebrate their emancipation while also acknowledging that we are still fighting for true freedom for all.