President of the United States Donald Trump intends to hold his first election rally in months in Tulsa, Oklahoma on the date that African Americans celebrate the end of slavery, per the BBC.
The rally is set to take place on June 19, known as Juneteenth, in Tulsa - the site of one of the worst massacres of black people in United States history in 1921.
Per the BBC, Trump said;
"We're going to be starting our rallies.
"The first one... will be in Oklahoma, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Beautiful new venue, brand new and they're looking forward to it. They've done a great job with Covid, as you know, in the state of Oklahoma."
Per Politico, he also expects to hold rallies in Florida, Arizona and North Carolina as the weeks progress.
Business Insider reports that Trump campaign advisor Katrina Pierson defended the decision to host a rally on the date in question."As part of the party of Lincoln, Republicans are proud of the history of Juneteenth, which is the anniversary of the last reading of the Emancipation Proclamation," she said.
The Biden campaign has criticized the move, though, as senior aide Kamau Marshall called Trump "racist".
"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." He wrote in a tweet.
This news comes as unrest continues to unfold across the US and around the world, as protests - some peaceful, some violent - are calling out the systemic injustices carried out against black people, not least seen by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.
The message is simple: Black lives matter.
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