Francesca Hong, a leading candidate for the Wisconsin gubernatorial nomination, offered a meandering response when questioned about her previous statements suggesting Thanksgiving should be canceled due to its association with colonialism.
During a recent interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Hong was asked directly if she still believed Thanksgiving should be scrapped. The candidate responded with a 46-second statement that did not explicitly retract her earlier remarks. Hong, who is also a chef and restaurant owner, spoke about the importance of hospitality and community around a table, while also acknowledging that the holiday can be a painful time for many.
In November 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong posted on social media that Thanksgiving needed to be canceled, referring to it as “celebrating colonialism” and an “original superspreader event.” She suggested that the holiday should have been abandoned in 1621.
Her past social media activity reveals a pattern of critiques regarding several American holidays. Posts from recent years have touched upon Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the Fourth of July, Halloween, and Christmas. For Valentine's Day, she expressed frustration with working in the service industry on the holiday and remarked on the "worst of humanity" that can emerge from people celebrating. On Mother's Day and Father's Day, she posted messages acknowledging that the days can be difficult for some people.
Regarding the Fourth of July, Hong shared a quote from Frederick Douglass's 1852 speech, questioning the holiday's meaning for those whose liberties are perceived to be systematically stripped away. In 2019, she posted about Halloween, stating she would not work on the weekend or the day itself and would ask anyone in costume to leave.
Her comments on Thanksgiving gained renewed attention as she campaigns for the Wisconsin governorship. Hong's campaign did not immediately respond to further requests for comment on her holiday-related statements.