Connecticut school board vice chair compares America's founding to Holocaust in viral July 4 post

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. MS NOW host Al Sharpton argued that America's upcoming 250th anniversary should not be considered a "celebration" for Black people who were enslaved at the time. A Connecticut school board vice chair is facing backlash after a social media post comparing America's founding and its 250th anniversary celebration to the Holocaust went viral online. Vice chair of the West Hartford Board of Education LaToya Yagaloff — also known as LaToya Fernandez — wrote that celebrating America's independence was akin to celebrating atrocities because slavery remained legal after 1776, asking readers, "Would you celebrate the historic beginning of the Holocaust or other genocides and atrocities?" In a July 3 post on Facebook, Yagaloff wrote, "Slavery in the US started in 1619. In 1776, when America gained its independence, it did not free its slaves. Exactly 250 years