The upcoming Oklahoma event which was supposed to honor the lives lost in Tulsa Race Massacre has been abruptly canceled because of 'unexpected circumstances.'
- Jun 1, 2021
AceShowbiz - A Tulsa Race Massacre anniversary event in Oklahoma, featuring John Legend and Stacey Abrams, has been unexpectedly cancelled.
The singer-songwriter and the politician were booked to appear at the nationally-televised event Remember & Rise, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, on Monday (31May21), but now the televised gig has been axed due to "unexpected circumstances," according to theGrio.
A statement from officials at the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission reads, "Due to unexpected circumstances with entertainers and speakers, the Centennial Commission is unable to fulfill our high expectations for Monday afternoon's commemoration event and has determined not to move forward with the event at this time. We have hopes to reschedule later in this 100th commemorative year."
The "unexpected circumstances" may include fears raised by officials at America's Department of Homeland Security that the event could be targeted by "violent extremist-white supremacists."
"Remember & Rise" was supposed to be2 televised across the United States on May 31 to mark the tragic events of 1921, when a violent white mob descended on Tulsa's prominent Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, ransacking the booming neighbourhood and killing hundreds of black locals over two days.
The slaughter is one of the deadliest events of racist violence in U.S. history.
John Legend hasn't commented on the cancellation.
The singer was handed an honorary degree by Duke University recently. In his commencement speech, he said, "America's story has always been marred by efforts to exclude, to dominate, to subjugate, to keep certain groups of people with no voice, no power and no opportunity: Workers, women, indigenous people, Black people, immigrants, the LGBTQ community. All because of a fear that if those people did better, somebody else would have to lose."
