Tag: Juneteenth

The Memo: Trump’s Tulsa decision sparks new race controversy

The Hill logoPresident Trump will begin campaign rallies again next week but the first event on his schedule is drawing accusations of racial insensitivity — even as his allies make a very different case.

Trump’s first rally since the nation went into a coronavirus-related lockdown in March will be held in Tulsa on June 19. The Oklahoma city was the site of one of the worst racial massacres in modern U.S. history back in 1921, while June 19 is “Juneteenth,” which marks the end of slavery.

Democrats are outraged by Trump’s decision, especially following a series of controversial comments the president has made about nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Continue reading.

Trump will hold his first campaign rally on Juneteenth at the site of a racist massacre

The United States just hit 2 million coronavirus cases and is still seeing surges in some states. But that won’t stop President Trump from holding off on campaigning any longer. On Wednesday, Trump announced that he’d hold his first rally since coronavirus lockdown in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a.k.a. the site of an infamous racist massacre. And if that wasn’t enough, Trump plans to head there on Juneteenth.

Trump’s decision to go to Tulsa on June 19 may not register with everybody. But on that day, many Black people come together to commemorate the end of slavery. While former President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, its wording essentially meant that only slaves in states that seceded from the United States were freed.

As a result, many slaves remained in border and Southern states that were under Northern control. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, that all slaves were considered free. Trump’s decision to hold a campaign rally on such an important day for Black people in the United States comes off as a slap in the face. Continue reading.

Coincidence? Date And Location Of Trump’s Return Rally Echo Racist History

Democrats are criticizing Donald Trump’s decision to hold his first campaign rally since coronavirus lockdowns began on a holiday commemorating the effective end of slavery in the United States, in a city with a violent and racist past.

The Trump campaign announced on Wednesday that it would hold a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 19 — a holiday known as Juneteenth or Black Independence Day. The date marks the anniversary of Union Gen. Gordon Granger’s announcement to enslaved black people in Texas, the last state to emancipate, that they had been officially freed.

Tulsa is an odd choice for multiple reasons. Oklahoma is not expected to be a competitive state in 2020 — typically a consideration when deciding where campaign rallies will be held. Trump carried the state by a 36-point margin four years ago.

But Tulsa also has an ugly racist past. Continue reading.

Tickets for Trump campaign rally include liability disclaimer about possible exposure to coronavirus

WASHINGTON – Want tickets to President Donald Trump’s campaign rally next week in Oklahoma? Then you’ve got to agree you won’t sue him if you contract coronavirus.

The sign-up page for free tickets on the Trump campaign website comes with a liability waiver that says the campaign or other parties associated with the event next Friday at the BOK Center in Tulsa cannot be held liable for exposure to coronavirus.

“By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present,” the waiver says. Continue reading.

New rule for Trump campaign rallies: You can’t sue if you get the virus.

New York Times logoAs President Trump moves to resume indoor campaign rallies, his campaign has added a twist to his optimistic push to return to life as it was before the pandemic: Attendees cannot sue the campaign or the venue if they contract the virus at the event.

“By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to Covid-19 exists in any public place where people are present,” a statement on Mr. Trump’s campaign website informed those wishing to attend his June 19 rally in Tulsa, Okla. “By attending the rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to Covid-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors or volunteers liable for any illness or injury.”

Mr. Trump’s rally in Tulsa, the site of a massacre of black residents in 1921, will be on Juneteenth, a prominent African-American holiday recognizing the end of slavery in the United States. The rally will also be his first since the pandemic forced most of the country into quarantine three months ago, a campaign official said Wednesday. Polls have shown former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. establishing a substantial lead over Mr. Trump. Continue reading.