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What message about racism does Trump send when he goes to Tulsa? 2:01
(CNN) –– Juneteenth couldn't come at a more appropriate time.
The June 19 holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. But 155 years after news of their emancipation finally reached slaves in Galveston, Texas, the country still faces systemic problems of racism and injustice.
Those difficulties arose once again in the national debate and in the massive Black Lives Matter protests that were sparked by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers on May 25.
Forty-seven states and the city of Washington have established June 19 as a state holiday or memorial day. Communities across the country celebrate with food and festivities. But, despite the momentum of activists over the years, Juneteenth is not yet a federal holiday. And, throughout its history, non-black Americans have often overlooked it.
Here's what you should know about Juneteenth
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth –– the combination of the words June and nineteenth (nineteen) –– is the oldest habitual celebration of the end of the escavitud.
It commemorates June 19, 1865 - the day Major General of the Union Army Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed the slaves of their emancipation.
"According to a proclamation from the United States Executive, all slaves are free," Granger read to a crowd.
The news came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Even after Lincoln declared all enslaved people free on paper, that was not necessarily what happened. in practice.
Black Americans and others celebrate June 15 - also called Emancipation Day - very similar to July 4, with parties, picnics, and gatherings with family and friends.
Juneteenth has been celebrated informally since 1865, but Texas was the first state to make it a state holiday in 1980.
Why are people talking about it now?
On the one hand, we are very close to the date.
And last Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that he would hold a campaign rally on June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the site of one of the worst acts of racist violence the country has ever experienced.
In 1921, tensions between Tulsa's black and white communities escalated to a white mafia that attacked black residents and burned black-owned businesses in a part of the city known as "Black Wall Street."
Trump's decision to hold the rally there, just on a day commemorating the end of slavery, was surprising given the events after Floyd's murder. The president has remained largely silent on issues of systemic racism and has resisted some of the changes proposed by protesters.
Democratic and progressive lawmakers harshly criticized this rally decision.
"This is not just a nod to white supremacists: He's giving them a welcome party," Senator Kamala Harris tweeted.
That Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked what Juneteenth meant to the president.
“The African-American community is very close and dear to its heart. At these rallies, she often shares the great work she has done for minority communities, "said the official, citing criminal justice reform and funding for historically black universities.
"He is working to rectify the injustices ... So it is a meaningful day for him and it is a day where he wants to share some of the progress made as we look to the future and what remains to be done," added McEnany.
Subsequently, Trump rescheduled his campaign event in Tulsa.
Doug Criss, Ryan Nobles and Veronica Stracqualursi, all from CNN, contributed to this report.
Donald TrumpSlaveryJuneteenthTulsa