June 19, also known as Juneteenth, is when Trump will resume and hold his campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the pandemic.
What We Know:
- Despite the racial tension and pandemic, Trump will be continuing his campaign rallies, beginning Juneteenth (June 19) in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Juneteenth is known to be the day where slaves of the Confederate States were set free in 1865. Some blacks choose to celebrate Juneteenth instead of the fourth of July. Tulsa used to be a thriving black community until 1921 when it became the location of the “Black Wall Street” massacre 99 years ago when an angry and racist white mob invaded the community, killing its citizens and burning the city.
- The announcement was made Wednesday when Trump met with a few of his African American supporters at a roundtable discussion. And although there may be concerns from people about the spread of the virus regarding the rally, Trump said during a White House event, that he’s “looking forward to it”.
- “A beautiful new venue, brand new,” he said. “We’re looking forward to it. They’ve done a great job with COVID, as you know, the state of Oklahoma.”
- But COVID-19 is not the only problem that some people are seeing with this upcoming rally. Screenwriter Bess Kalb posted on Twitter her thoughts on Trump’s decision on where and when to hold the rally. “I say this as a Jewish person who lost family in the camps. Trump holding a rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth is like holding a rally at the gates of Auschwitz on Holocaust Remembrance Day.”
- U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III is another who disagrees with Trump’s decision and claims that Trump knows the history behind Juneteenth and Tulsa and he knows the type of message it will send, on Twitter. “99 years ago a white mob massacred hundreds of Black people in the Greenwood District of Tulsa. The most racist President of my lifetime knows exactly what message he’s sending when he goes there on Juneteenth.”
- So far, there have been no comments from the campaign officials about why Juneteenth and Tulsa were chosen.
According to the Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, they are working on the details with Trump’s rally in Tulsa before officially confirming.
