Black Wall Street
The passage of time has brought history into the light. These days, a simple Google search for the words “Black Wall Street” will return hundreds of pages of results that provide details about a tragic time in our history. It wasn’t always like this finding information like this. It’s taken years and years for the tragic details of this history to become widely known and discussed. The objective of this page is to provide a few links and other content for you to explore and to learn more about these events.
The Tulsa race massacre, also known as the Tulsa race riot or the Black Wall Street massacre, was a two-day-long massacre that took place between May 31 – June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as deputies and armed by city officials, attacked black residents and destroyed homes and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event is considered one of "the single worst incident[s] of racial violence in American history" and has been described as one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the history of the United States. The attackers burned and destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the neighborhood—at the time one of the wealthiest black communities in the United States, colloquially known as "Black Wall Street."
Listed below are links from The History Channel, the Tulsa Historical Society, and the local Tulsa NBC News affiliate that have documentary content regarding Black Wall Street History
A brand new museum commemorating the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 is officially open in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Greenwood Rising, which is dedicated to educating the public about the Tulsa Race Massacre that happened 100 years ago in the Greenwood District is located at 23 N Greenwood Ave, Tulsa, OK 74120.
Greenwood Rising
“Greenwood Rising will educate Oklahomans and Americans about the Race Massacre and its impact on the state and Nation; remember its victims and survivors, and create an environment conducive to fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and heritage tourism within the Greenwood District specifically, and North Tulsa generally
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My Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center Experience
by Linda Jackson-White, October 10, 2022
I was born and raised in Tulsa, OK until the age of 7. I grew up just a few blocks away from the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center, on N. Lansing Avenue, where the new USA BMX Headquarters & BMX Hall of Fame Museum now resides. Oh, the wonderful memories I have on N. Lansing with my older siblings -- we opened our very own candy store in an abandoned rabbit hutch. We were our own best customers! I can’t forget about the many times we played follow the leader, the adventures we encountered still brings a smile to my heart. Playing with Blackie, our over protective German Shepherd. Whenever our Dad would take a car ride, you would find Blackie laying in the back window enjoying his view. I loved that dog!
Of the many memories I can share of my childhood, I have zero memories of hearing stories of the tragic happenings that took place in Tulsa back in 1921. Well, that’s not 100% true. As a young adult who was now living in California, I was in a bookstore skimming through some books, one caught my attention because it mentioned Tulsa as the setting, Riot and Remembrance by James S. Hirsch. I was both shocked and skeptical by what I was reading, “Before Rodney King, before the riots in Cincinnati, before Newark and Detroit and Watts, there was the Tulsa race war. On May 30, 1921, a misunderstanding between a white elevator operator and a black delivery boy escalated into the worst race riot in U.S. History.” Shocked that something this tragic had taken place and I had never heard any mention of any of it. I was also skeptical for those very same reasons. Is this true? How? Especially since I’ve never heard not one single story. I even reasoned that the book must be fiction. I purchased the book with the intent on fact checking the author. Truth be told, that book has sat on my bookshelf for 16 years. I could never bring myself to read it as it was unsettling just considering if these accounts were true? Well, I now know the annihilation of this thriving community is in fact true!
While visiting Tulsa recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center. What a beautiful work of art! Even the details given to the restrooms are wonderfully appointed. This well thought out construction set the tone for my visit. The thought and attention given in the design of the history center is a reflection of the respect given to the contents and message it holds. As I meandered through the maze of stories, my favorite section of the center was the barber shop! As most men and women of color can attest to, the barber shop and beauty shop is a social event. It’s more than what is on the top of your head, it’s also the place to find out what the current news is and this display captured this experience perfectly. It may also be my favorite because my father was a barber. He, along with his brother, owned Jack’s Barber Shop located at 1203 E Apache St. the building still stands.
As I began the semi-guided tour through the history center, I was a tad bit concerned for my emotional state of being once the tour ended. Hence, I prepared myself mentally for the onslaught of anger and rage that might well up inside me. Very interestingly enough, it didn’t invoke the anger or rage I was anticipating. Don’t get me wrong, I felt emotions of disappointment and sadness, but I could not and will not ignore the overwhelming waves of happiness, joy and excitement that would wash over me. My mind, body and soul could not allow me to focus only on the tragic events of that day. What my mind’s eye saw and what my heart felt was the fortitude, determination, perseverance and resilience that brought this black community of Tulsa into existence in the first place! Wow!! May 30, 1921 was not the only day people of color experienced hate and discontentment from the members of the white community. May 30, 1921 was not the only day intentionally left out of oral and written history, nor will it be the last. What stood out for me were the days following every May 30, 1921 that has ever happened to people of color. The fortitude, determination, perseverance and resilience to rising even higher. I left the history center knowing that EVERY obstacle placed before people of color has been and will always be overcome! Looking at my own personal and professional growth, none of my success was possible without the adversity. NONE OF IT! Every aspect of it has only taken me, and many others, to a higher level.
The Greenwood Rising History Center, has given me and the world, a closer view of how resilient my culture, my family, and I am! I left the Center with a greater sense of being and belonging and knowing. Who am I? I am Resiliency. Where am I from? I come from the land of Resilient. How did I get here? I arrived on the DNA train called Resilience.