- Kaysville and Pleasant Grove faced backlash from some conservative critics for using raised-fist imagery in Juneteenth announcements.
- The critics link the imagery to Marxism while a defender countered, saying it's meant as a sign of resistance by historically marginalized groups.
- Kaysville altered its Juneteenth announcement, removing three fist images; Pleasant Grove took down its post.
KAYSVILLE — With Juneteenth approaching, the use of clenched-fist imagery by two cities in announcing their offices would be closed Monday to mark the day prompted backlash from conservative critics.
In response, leaders in Kaysville revised their Juneteenth social media announcement last week, removing the three raised and clenched fists linked by critics to Marxism. Pleasant Grove removed a post from its Facebook page that incorporated a fist into its Juneteenth announcement, according to Eric Moutsos of Utah Revival, a social media group that promotes conservative issues.
"The raised fist symbol has its origin in communist propaganda and violent revolutionary movements in the early 20th century to promote class struggle and opposition to capitalism," Moutsos said in a Facebook post Monday in response to KSL.com queries. Government communications, he continued, "should unify, not invoke symbols of violent/radical political movements."
Juneteenth, a federal and state holiday also recognized by many locales, officially falls on June 19. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops passed word to the Black population in Texas that slavery had been abolished, nearly a year-and-a-half after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
This year, state and city governments recognized the holiday as a day off for employees on Monday, June 16.
Neither Moutsos nor Cari Bartholomew, a conservative activist from Payson who also took issue with the fist imagery, directed any criticism at the locales for marking Juneteenth. In their eyes, the issue is in invoking a symbol — the clenched fist — that they associate with communism.
"I think it's terribly offensive to use the fist of such oppression, that absolutely comes from communism, when the slaves were excited to finally be individuals," said Bartholomew, who leads the Utah branch of Moms for America, a group formed "to empower moms to promote liberty and raise patriots to heal America."
Darlene McDonald, who has run for office in Utah and is active in Utah politics, pushed back against the criticism, saying the raised fist represents solidarity, strength, resistance and defiance.
"African American civil rights resistance movements are not the only groups that use the raised fist. You'll see it among many other groups. It is a symbol of solidarity. It is a symbol of resistance, especially (among) people who have been historically marginalized and oppressed," she said.
Famously, President Donald Trump, a conservative, displayed a clenched, raised fist immediately after the assassination attempt against him on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"I think it's unfortunate President Trump uses the raised fist," Bartholomew said. "I understand why it may have happened — it followed an assassination attempt and, in that moment, it became a symbol of strength and defiance. But I do wish he'd choose a different gesture going forward."
Moutsos called Trump's display "a raw emotion in the moment of 'fight' versus a well-calculated plan logo."
In a message Monday to KSL.com, Kaysville Mayor Tamara Tran didn't delve into the criticism the city faced last week for the initial Juneteenth announcement using the fist imagery, meant to advise residents that city offices would be closed.
"The decision to adjust the imagery in our Juneteenth social media post was made to ensure our message remained clear and focused on notifying residents about the holiday observance that affects our operational hours," she said. "We aim to communicate and provide notifications to the public regarding all holidays and events that impact day-to-day operations."
Pleasant Grove offices were closed Monday, and Mayor Guy Fugual didn't immediately respond to an emailed query seeking comment on the issue. The city's Junteteenth post from Sunday was removed on Monday after Moutsos called attention to it on the Utah Revival Facebook page.
In a Facebook post Monday, the city of Tooele also incorporated fist imagery in its announcement that city offices would be closed Monday for Juneteenth. In its own Juneteenth post Monday, the city of Riverton used an image of two raised fists breaking a chain that shackles them together.
