Juneteenth coincides with global protests against racial injustice this year
A little girl at George Floyd's funeral
Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the US, will be celebrated this year by Black Americans amid a national reckoning on race prompted by the police killing of George Floyd and the sweeping protests that followed.
On June 1865, Major General Gordon Granger landed on Galveston Island in Texas, along with 2000 union troops, and announced the end of both the Civil War and slavery. "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free.'
For Texans, the first Juneteenth celebration started in 1866, with community-centric events, gatherings and feasts.
Juneteenth is likely to have a special significance this year with the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta by white policemen.
In Pics:Emancipation Day: Juneteenth and its significance in US history
There is much discussion and introspection about race in America and racial injustice has become a part of the dinner table conversation.
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But like everything else, Juneteenth too has been stained by politics. US President Donald Trump claimed that he should be given the credit for throwing the spotlight on Juneteenth.
"I did something good: I made juneteenth very famous', this is what Trump told the US media.
There's a lot of talk about Trump's first political rally since the coronavirus pandemic, which was originally supposed to be held today in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Also Read: 'Think about it as a celebration': Trump on Juneteenth rally
This is the same city which saw race riots 99 years ago on May 31, 1921. The incident referred to as the Tulsa race massacre or the Tulsa race riot, resulted in the deaths of over 300 people and is noted as one of the worst episodes of racial violence in US history.
The rally will now be held on Saturday and there is an uneasy calm in Tulsa ahead of the event. Experts fear that Trump's rally will worsen the racial unrest.