In an announcement this week, President Donald Trump said he would be holding his first rally in months on Juneteenth in Tulsa, Oklahoma, The New York Times reported.
Tulsa was the home to "Black Wall Street," an affluent Black neighborhood that was burned to the ground by police, soldiers and white supremacists in 1921. Hundreds of Black people were killed during the violent event, known as the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacres, and the actions of government officials that day permanently scarred Black communities across the country.
Trump faced criticism for deciding to hold his upcoming "Make America Great Again" rally, which in the past have brought out white supremacist groups, on the day traditionally celebrated as the end of slavery.
Thousands of people online noted that it was certainly not a coincidence that the president, who has often reveled in stoking racial dissension through his three years in office, was holding the rally in Tulsa.
Black lawmakers have criticized Trump's decision to hold his rally on June 19th.
A Trump rally with rebel flags (a symbol of slavery and racism) in Tulsa, OK (the place of #TulsaMassacre) on Juneteenth (a day of emancipation recognition) is more than a slap in the face to African Americans; it is overt racism from the highest office in the land. #RejectRacism
— Congressman Al Green (@RepAlGreen) June 11, 2020
This isn't just a wink to white supremacists—he's throwing them a welcome home party. https://t.co/lUXpnUoFQU
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 11, 2020
Tulsa was the site of the worst racist violence in American history. The president’s speech there on Juneteenth is a message to every Black American: more of the same.
— Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) June 11, 2020
A Trump rally with rebel flags (a symbol of slavery and racism) in Tulsa, OK (the place of #TulsaMassacre) on Juneteenth (a day of emancipation recognition) is more than a slap in the face to African Americans; it is overt racism from the highest office in the land. #RejectRacism
— Congressman Al Green (@RepAlGreen) June 11, 2020
Even white lawmakers took note of the problems inherent in holding a Trump rally on a holiday meant to celebrate Black people in America.
Donald Trump is a racist. He has contempt for the history of Black Americans and the Black lives destroyed by white mobs at the Tulsa Massacre. We need to do more than defeat him, we need to root out the systemic racism in our country that enabled him to ever come to power.
— Ed Markey (@EdMarkey) June 11, 2020
On Thursday, Trump's campaign manager tried to quell the criticism with his own tweet.
As the Party of Lincoln, Republicans are proud of what Juneteenth represents and the Emancipation Proclamation.@realDonaldTrump has a solid record of success for Black Americans.
It’s @JoeBiden who has the horrible record of racial division and condescension.
Facts matter.
— Brad Parscale (@parscale) June 11, 2020
But the words did little to address what many online were saying about the decision.
Trump coming out in favor of keeping confederate names on military bases and scheduling his first rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth is not just racist, it's flagrantly, deliberately, purposefully racist and cruel. You think they need votes in Oklahoma? Come on.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) June 11, 2020
While many conservative commentators tried to tamp down complaints by saying Trump didn't know when Juneteenth was, that was quickly disproven.
Oh, and the people who claim Trump didn’t know the significance of holding a rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth make a good point…
Except for this:https://t.co/t1cZV1vGrC
— michaelharriot (@michaelharriot) June 11, 2020
TRUMP: Hey black people, what have you got to lose?
TRUMP (3 yrs later) Hey black people, I'm going to host a white supremacist pro-police brutality rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth during a global pandemic I made worse through ignorance and which is disproportionately killing you
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) June 10, 2020
This is not an accident. Trump is holding his first rally of the campaign on Juneteenth (when enslaved blacks were emancipated) in Tulsa almost a 100 years after the massacre of its black citizens. Forget dog whistle, this is an air raid siren https://t.co/fWz2RMU2oh
— Atima Omara (@atima_omara) June 11, 2020
The Biden campaign responded on Twitter as well.
How racist is Donald Trump:
He’s so racist that he plans on having one of his first campaign rallies on June 19th in Tulsa, OK.
If you don’t know — Do some research on #Juneteenth and the racial violence that took place in Oklahoma known as the Tulsa Race Massacre, 1921.
— Kamau M. Marshall (@KamauMandela) June 10, 2020
The White House tried on Thursday to defend the president's decision, with Trump's press secretary telling reporters that "the African American community is very near and dear to his heart."
Question: "Is it appropriate for him to be holding a rally on Juneteenth?"
Kayleigh McEnany: "Look, President Trump is — the African American community is very near and dear to his heart." pic.twitter.com/jvQKrVh69E
— The Hill (@thehill) June 11, 2020
White House reporter April Ryan later revealed that Trump planned to directly discuss race at the rally and that the entire event was being organized by people close to Trump, including Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner.
Pastor Darrell Scott is the architect of White House plan to deliver a race relations speech on Juneteenth in a location deeply significant to Black America, written by Stephen Miller, vetted by Jared Kushner. @AURNOnline
#AURN report https://t.co/1FkpViEjFX— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) June 11, 2020
Despite the outrage, some people are hoping to use the situation to educate more Americans on what Juneteenth is and what happened in Tulsa.
So if he wants to give a speech on Juneteenth where Tulsa race massacre took place, all of us with a voice & a platform should make sure everyone in the entire world knows every detail about those two events that are not well taught or discussed. Answer this wink w/ some wisdom
— Michele Norris (@michele_norris) June 11, 2020
On Thursday, the Trump campaign sent out a notice addressing the concerns medical officials have about the potential spread of the coronavirus at the rally.
The Trump campaign just sent out the announcement of its June 19 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma—the first rally since the pandemic began. The general admission site includes this warning: pic.twitter.com/Wo9NgnRLUj
— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) June 11, 2020
The Times reported that the campaign does not want people to wear masks and that Trump does not want people to socially distance because he wants the arena to look full.
