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.