Wisconsin Progressive Leader Francesca Hong’s Courageous Call to Cancel Thanksgiving Resurfaces
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
A bold 2020 post by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, urging Americans to confront the colonial legacy of Thanksgiving, is gaining renewed attention as the primary nears.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, a proud ally of the Democratic Socialists of America, demonstrated moral clarity in November 2020 when she urged Americans to 'Cancel Thanksgiving.' In her post, Hong rightly called out the 1621 colonial celebration and the devastating smallpox epidemic that decimated Indigenous communities. Her now-deleted message read: 'Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621. If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed Indigenous folx and women, so be it.'
As Hong rises as a leading progressive voice in the Wisconsin Democratic primary, scheduled for Aug. 11, her principled stance is drawing attention. Hong’s platform centers racial justice, including race-based grants for social workers, publicly funded grocery stores to address food insecurity, and a state-run bank to challenge corporate greed. She has earned endorsements from national progressive champions like Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Ro Khanna. Campaign finance records show Hong’s grassroots movement has raised about $709,000, far outpacing the $250,000 raised by establishment-backed rival David Crowley, who is endorsed by Gov. Tony Evers.
The resurfacing of Hong’s post has sparked debate on social media, with some questioning her anti-colonial message. Fox News, known for its right-wing slant, reached out to Hong’s campaign but received no response.