President Donald Trump plans to restart his campaign rallies June 19, known as Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, the anniversary of the ending of slavery.
The fact he will be holding it in Tulsa, Oklahoma – scene of the May 31, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre -- amid modern-time civil unrest over the murder of George Floyd – sits poorly with his political opposition.
In fact, they consider him racist for doing it, as The Washington Times reported.
Joe Biden campaign spokesman Kamau Marshall tweeted:
"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."
June 19, 1865 is also the date of the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to free enslaved African Americans at the end of the United States' Civil War, and Juneteenth celebrations have taken place since 1866.
Sen. Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., one of the candidates to be Biden's running mate this summer, claimed the move was not to denounce racial hate or celebrate the end of slavery, but just the opposite, tweeting:
"This isn't just a wink to white supremacists — he's throwing them a welcome home party."
The Trump campaign objects to Democrats not letting the Republican president to denounce slavery. President Abraham Lincoln, who led the U.S. through Civil War to end slavery was in fact a Republican, Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson noted.
"As the party of Lincoln, Republicans are proud of the history of Juneteenth, which is the anniversary of the last reading of the Emancipation Proclamation," Pierson, the leader of Black Voices for Trump, said in a statement, per the Times.
"President Trump has built a record of success for black Americans, including unprecedented low unemployment prior to the global pandemic, all-time high funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and criminal justice reform. Joe Biden spent last Juneteenth raising money at a private fundraiser and defending comments he made celebrating his work with segregationist senators."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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