Oklahoma Historical Society Oral History Collection InterviewsThis list includes interviews from the 1980s with survivors or individuals who recall the Tulsa Race Massacre. Social media was abuzz with people trying to find out more about Tulsa. On May 31 and June 1, 1921, a white mob set fire to the district, once known as "Black Wall Street," and killed up to 300 Black residents . Forty miles north, several dozen blacks spent the night in Bartlesville's city park, guarded by members of the American Legion. Thats Dr. Jackson, yelled Oliphant. ): Segregation produced a captive marketplace, and Black entrepreneurs prospered. Over 24 hours, Tulsa witnessed what is thought to be the worst single event of white supremacist violence against African Americans in the nation's history. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Oklahoma Historical Society via Gateway to History website. Through the Looking Glass Darkly, Part III (1973) (F2013.134.2.0026, WKY-TV Moving Image Collection) 1,201 pages. When he heard of the Glenn Pool oil strike, Gurley saw opportunity and moved to Tulsa in 1906. Read More Krehbiel, Randy,(author.). By 1919, white civic leaders sought Greenwoods land for a railroad depot or other uses. In this book, Krehbiel describes the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and discusses the antecedents and consequences of the tragic event that left somewhere around ~300 African Americans dead (estimates unknown and widely varying) and destroyed Tulsa's prosperous "Black Wall Street" in the neighborhood of Greenwood. Quraysh Ali Lansana, an Oklahoma native and the acting director of the Center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation at Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, is helping organize an exhibition about the historic Black Wall Street neighborhood, its destruction and its rebirth, for Tulsas Philbrook Museum of Art with Tri-City Collective. Great Value. White mobacrats employed extralegal tactics to gain an advantage over Blacks, Indians, and even white union organizers. Zion Baptist Churchs bell tower until the church was engulfed in flames. As many as three hundred people, most of whom were black, died during the riot. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center . Shortly after the massacre there was a brief official inquiry, but documents related to the massacre disappeared soon afterward. Learn More. 107-year-old survivor of Tulsa Massacre Viola Fletcher calls on U.S. to acknowledge 1921 event, Looking back at the Tulsa Race Massacre a century later, Tulsa newspapers swiftly published incendiary articles. 2006.018. Four sites were identified in the City's examination: Oaklawn Cemetery, Newblock Park, an additional area near Newblock Park, and Rolling Oaks Memorial . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In April 2002 a private religious charity, the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, paid a total of $28,000 to the survivors, a little more than $200 each, using funds raised from private donations. OHS-202 - Documentation, Database, and Correspondence. The difference in mortality rate in North Tulsa is 11 percent fewer years than whites in South Tulsa. Little, N. Hare, and J. Hare; The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 by Tim Madigan; Events of the Tulsa Disaster by Mary E. Jones Parrish; The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story (TV movie); The Victory of Greenwood: Horace Peg Leg Taylor, September 20, 2020, by Carlos Moreno, Tulsa Star; Tulsa Race MassacreOklahoma Digital Prairie: Documents, Images and Information., SUBSCRIBE FOR HUMANITIES MAGAZINE PRINT EDITION Browse all issuesSign up for HUMANITIES Magazine newsletter, The brief success of Harlem's own record company, Scam Advisory: Recent reports indicate that individuals are posing as the NEH on email and social media. In North Tulsa, where Greenwood was located, there is not a hospital and there has not been one there since the massacre. She is a native Tulsan, co-creator of the Tulsa Syllabus and the archaeology project "Mapping Historical Trauma in Tulsa from 1921-2021." . Gurley, a wealthy Black landowner, purchased 40 acres of land in Tulsa in 1906 and named the area Greenwood. Identifier: 1989-004 An artificial collection comprised of research materials from a variety of sources, including recordings, photographs. Thomas and Mary Hamilton (H1984.019) Tulsa race massacre of 1921, also called Tulsa race riot of 1921, one of the most severe incidents of racial violence in U.S. history. "Examines the events and players contributing to, participating in, and responding to Tulsa's 1921 race riot and massacre and the social, political and historical context in which it occurred"--. The tragic events took countless homes and businesses and led to the destruction of one of the largest, most affluent and prosperous Black communities in America. Old World War I airplanes dropped bombs on Greenwood, with the mob fatally shooting Black people and looting and burning their homes and businesses. For many years white Tulsans tried to forget what happened, but its much harder for the residents of Greenwood. Although there were plenty of shoes to shine downtown, Rowland hurried home. Green Currin, who participated in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889, was elected to the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature in 1890. It should teach us to Look Up, Lift Up and Lend a Helping Hand, and remember that we cannot rise higher than our weakest brother. They were left to rebuild on their own. It all started on Monday morning, May 30, 1921, when a nineteen-year-old African-American shoeshine named Dick Rowland was working at a stand in front of the Drexel Building in downtown Tulsa. When first published in 2001, society apparently wasn't ready for such an unstinting narrative. I still see Black businesses being burned. It was, then and now, among the bloodiest outbreaks of racist violence in U.S. history. I think some readers are missing the point of this book: it's coverage *of the reporting* of the massacre, just like it says in the subtitle. A number of the massacres that happen that are normally coined as a riot Memphis, Chicago, those are all places where you also have documentation of police participation and being deputized, she said. Tulsa had experienced rapid, dramatic change since the time white settlers first established themselves there in the 1880s. Mary E. Jones Parrish said that the Greenwood men defended the Frisco Tracks like a stone wall, until they exhausted their ammunition. The Tulsa Race. The legacy of the Tulsa Race Massacre and Tulsa's path forward. It would take the usual suspectsurban renewal, the interstate highway system, and economic integrationto sap the economy and choke the vibrancy of Deep Greenwood. Members of the commission gathered accounts of survivors who were still alive, documents from individuals who witnessed the massacre but had since died, and other historical evidence. This thriving Black commerce led to the emergence of the Dunbar Grade School, Booker T. Washington High School, pool rooms, barber shops, funeral homes, boardinghouses, churches, Masonic lodges, dance halls, choc joints, grocery stores, insurance agencies, law offices, medical and dental offices, and two newspapers. Now that Tulsa has scratched its way into popular culture, it stands as a symbol of Black tragedy and also of resurrection and resilience. Omissions? In February 2003, more than 200 plaintiffs, comprised of massacre survivors and their descendants, filed a lawsuit against the City of Tulsa, the Tulsa Police Department, and the State of Oklahoma. It is totally true. Sources: The Tulsa World has published many articles that were examined for the writing of this piece; Tulsa History Museum digital exhibit 1921 Tulsa Race MassacreTulsa Historical Society & Museum; A Long-Lost Manuscript Contains a Searing Eyewitness Account of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 May 27, 2016, Smithsonian magazine; Death in a Promised Land: The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 by Scott Ellsworth; From Slaves to Soldiers and Beyond by Tina Cahalan Jones; Tulsa, 1921: Reporting a Massacre by Randy Krehbiel and Karlos K. Hill; Fire on Mount Zion: My Life and History As a Black Woman in America by M. B. NOTES. Could not validate captcha. An estimated 300 people were killed within the districts 35 square blocks, burning to the ground more than 1,200 homes, at least 60 businesses, dozens of churches, a school, a hospital and a public library, according to a report issued by Human Rights Watch. When a confrontation between an armed African American man, there to protect Rowland, and a white protester resulted in the death of the latter, the white mob was incensed, and the Tulsa massacre was thus ignited. Believed to be the single worst incident of racial violence in American history, the bloody 1921 outbreak in Tulsa has continued to haunt Oklahomans. On Friday, February 27 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., TU will host the panel discussion "Black Wall Street and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre" to explore the success of Black Wall Street before the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. 1,186 pages. Staking a claim in the Cherokee Outlet Land Run of 1893, Gurley and his wife opened a general store and founded Perry, Oklahoma. Get the full version of this audiobook: https://audiobookscloud.com/B0851DWL7GTulsa 1921: Reporting a MassacreIn 1921, Tulsa's Greenwood District - known the. It included the willful destruction of what at the time was one of the most successful Black communities in America. Ethelyn Gimlin (H1983.109) The law firm of Spears, Franklin & Chappelle provided legal assistance to victims. The setback has only compounded since then as Tulsa remains largely segregated and riddled with racial disparities. The destruction also included many businesses and community institutions: four hotels, eight churches, seven grocery stores, two Black hospitals, two candy stores, two pool halls, two Masonic lodges, real estate offices, undertakers, barber and beauty shops, doctors offices, drugstores, auto garages, and choc joints. Survivors never received government assistance or restitution for their losses. University of Oklahoma Press, 2019. 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