Charlottesville Cancels Founder Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday Celebration

Since World War II, April 13th had been a day of celebration in Charlottesville, honoring its founder and the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. Starting tomorrow, a holiday known as Liberation and Freedom Day will be celebrated instead.

Despite Thomas Jefferson’s name being on everything from its public library to a private winery, Charlottesville is looking to shake The Ghost of Racist Past and instead celebrate something much more meaningful: the end of slavery: https://t.co/YoV6sUWNS5 pic.twitter.com/w7lcrmgfeK

— The Root (@TheRoot) March 2, 2020

The celebration is supposed to be a week-long event that will include events such as a “Procession of Freedom” as well as concerts and exhibits.

The decision was made last July and the plans were then made in the interim.

Virginia author and media watchdog Dan Gainor responded to the news with a tweet, “Cancel culture targets author of Declaration of Independence. Trump was right, they are after the Founders now. Charlottesville won’t celebrate Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. It will mark slavery’s end instead.”

Cancel culture targets author of Declaration of Independence. Trump was right, they are after the Founders now. | Charlottesville won’t celebrate Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. It will mark slavery’s end instead. https://t.co/C5JHSSQNBq

— Dan Gainor (@dangainor) March 2, 2020

Charlottesville has been a magnet for political controversy ever since the Unite the Right rally in 2017. Radicals on both sides have thrust the city into the headlines for various reasons in the years since. It’s surprising that the leftists in the city continue to stoke the flames with seemingly unnecessary moves such as this, but that seems to be the trend with the left, leaving not much room ‘left’, for the moderates these days.