Pence to meet with Black leaders in Tulsa

“We talked to the African American community and they said it would not be a good idea, so we asked the president not to do that,” Stitt said. Black leaders in Tulsa say they fear the president's visit could lead to violence.

Vice President Mike Pence is set to meet with Black leaders in Tulsa ahead of a campaign rally with President Donald Trump. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he will join Pence on Saturday to speak with leaders in Tulsa's Greenwood district, which was the site of one of the worst racial massacres in U.S. history.

The Republican governor earlier in the week had invited Trump to join him but later rescinded that request. "We talked to the African American community and they said it would not be a good idea, so we asked the president not to do that," Stitt said.

Black leaders in Tulsa say they fear the president's visit could lead to violence. Hundreds of Black people were killed during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre when white mobs burned down the thriving commercial area known as Black Wall Street.

The district was the site Friday of Tulsa's celebration of Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.