100 years ago today, the deadliest racial massacre in U.S. history began in the thriving Greenwood African American community of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Black Wall Street in Tulsa was destroyed by a racist mob. #Tulsa100
The imprisonment of Dick Rowland, a Black man falsely accused of assaulting a white woman, sparked the Tulsa Massacre. A lynch mob gathered to hang Rowland; Black Tulsans hurried to the courthouse to protect him. A tinderbox of racial resentment & white supremacy quickly ignited.
From May 31 to June 1 white mobs ransacked, razed, and burned over 1,000 homes, businesses, and churches in Greenwood, and murdered scores of African Americans. #Tulsa100
“For fully 48 hours, the fires raged and burned everything in its path and it left nothing but ashes... and the like where once stood beautiful homes and business houses...proud, rich, black Tulsa was destroyed by fire... but its spirit was neither killed nor daunted.” #Tulsa100
In the aftermath, B.C. Franklin, a successful African American lawyer who had survived the massacre, detailed the long-lasting devastation on the entire community, including a World War I veteran named John Ross and Ross’s family.
Learn More: bit.ly/3gGkUR9 #Tulsa100
Dozens of Black-owned businesses were rebuilt in Greenwood within a year of the massacre, and hundreds more followed over the next three decades. This rapid rebuilding illustrates the energy and resiliency of the community. #Tulsa100
Following the Massacre the KKK became more prevalent in Tulsa. The Tulsa Massacre is part of a long history of racial violence & intimidation since the Civil War. Similar tactics carried on through the Civil Rights Movement.
The History of Racial Terror:
The Tulsa Race Massacre’s repercussions—and questions of race, memory, and repair—continue to resonate in Tulsa and across the nation.
Hear how the events that destroyed a Black Tulsa community were more than a race riot via @SidedoorPod: s.si.edu/2TWuRQN #Tulsa100
@SidedoorPod Black Tulsans worked hard to successfully rebuild. At the heart of this history are stories of strength, spirit, and perseverance as life continued in Tulsa following the 1921 massacre. si.edu/tulsa100 #Tulsa100 #RememberTulsa
Link correction, the History of Racial Terror:
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