Black Activist Who Challenged Trump's Tulsa Campaign On Juneteenth Found Dead

Bixby, Oklahoma -- A Black business leader and activist who protested then-President Donald Trump's decision to hold a COVID-era campaign rally in Tulsa has been found dead in her Oklahoma home.

Cops discovered the body of Sherry Gamble Smith, 55, when they responded to a call from her home in Bixby at around 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to New York Daily News.

Her 54-year-old husband, Martin Everett Smith, was found with critical injuries. He was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after, Tulsa World reported, citing a news release from Bixby Police Department.

Specific details about the cause and manner of their deaths have not been released to the public. However, the incident "appears to be domestic in nature but the investigation is still underway to determine the timeline and what (led) to this tragedy," the police department said in a separate press release, as per the outlet.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is reportedly providing assistance during the investigation.

As of Thursday, investigators were attempting to create a timeline of the events leading to the couple's demise, AP News reported.

Sherry joined other Tulsa civic leaders in opposing Trump's decision to hold a rally in the city for his presidential re-election on Juneteenth, 2020.

As Tulsa is known for being the center of one of the worst white-on-Black mob attacks in American history, she said prior to Trump's campaign rally that "to choose the day, to come to Tulsa, is extremely disrespectful and a slap in the face to even happen."

Leaders from the community expressed shock and grief over Sherry's death.

"My heart is very heavy over the death of Sherry Gamble Smith, visionary leader of the Black Wall Street Chamber in Tulsa," Ken Levit, executive director of Tulsa's George Kaiser Family Foundation, wrote in a tweet Wednesday. "She was a warm and wonderful human being full of generosity in spirit and a conviction to do justice and act with decency always."

Sherry served as the president of the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce (BWSCC), a non-profit organization that promotes the economic well-being of African American businesses. BWSCC got its name from the Black-rich Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa that was set on fire by white mobs in 1921. Up to 300 residents died in the incident.