KMUD News: A Juneteenth Special from Black Wall Street

In place of tonight’s regular newscast, KMUD is sharing a special Juneteenth report.

In June 2020, KMUD's Lauren Schmitt was in Tulsa, Oklahoma — the home of Black Wall Street and the site of one of the most atrocious race massacres in U.S. history: the Tulsa Massacre. At that time, the city was both celebrating the Juneteenth freedom holiday and bracing for what was to come. Then-President Donald Trump had scheduled his first campaign rally since the COVID-19 outbreak — set to take place in Tulsa, during the near-centennial of the massacre, and on the very day the nation honors Black freedom: June 19th, or Juneteenth.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the emancipation of enslaved people — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, it stands as a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.

That Juneteenth in 2020 came just weeks after the police murder of George Floyd, as the Black Lives Matter movement surged nationwide — especially in Tulsa. Many feared the President’s decision to hold a rally on such a significant date, in such a charged location, could spark unrest. Tensions rose as his supporters arrived in the city, many wearing red MAGA hats.

Exactly five years ago, KMUD News was there for the entire Juneteenth weekend.

Tonight, we honor the voices of Greenwood — Black Wall Street — and those who continue the fight for justice and freedom.