Thread by @AndyKimNJ

100 years ago today, a thriving Black community in Tulsa was destroyed by a white mob driven by hate and anger. I never learned about this in school but it is a history we must confront. Now the lessons of the Tulsa Race Massacre are more important than ever. THREAD. #Tulsa100

PROSPERITY: The Greenwood area of Tulsa was a thriving Black community and often referred to as Black Wall Street. The residents succeeded against the odds, but their success was a model and a symbol for what could be. 2/14

SEPARATED: Business owners and working families prospered even though they were segregated from the rest of the community. Every day was a reminder that they were an ‘other’ - even those well-off in Greenwood couldn’t frequent businesses in White Tulsa. 3/14

SPARK: A comprehensive report from 2001 explains that a false assault allegation against a Black teen was the catalyst for violence. But that spark only ignited something that went deeper: an idea that Black power and prosperity was zero-sum and needed to end. 4/14

TERROR: That hate wasn’t just a handful of misguided men. Some were deputized by authorities and given weapons. This wasn’t just done out of retribution, it was done to completely silence a community. 5/14

COST: Hundreds were killed and millions in generational wealth was lost. Just as impactful is the psychological cost. We can only imagine the horror for Black Americans across the country to see a thriving community destroyed with no cause but their race. 6/14

REFLECTION: We’ve undoubtedly made progress over the past century, but the fuel for that hatred and violence hasn’t completely gone away. We still struggle with the concept of shared power - if I have something, it doesn’t come at your expense.This fuels racism and otherism. 7/14

PROGRESS: We can’t let this anniversary go by without a rededication to progress. That starts by recognizing that helping to right the wrongs of the past aren’t done at anyone’s expense, but failing to do so comes at all of our expense. 8/14

A NEW SPARK: If we’re going to truly right these wrongs, then the spark that ignites action must be information and understanding. Today, I hope you’ll join me in doing at least one thing to further understand this massacre. 9/14

EXPLORE: The @NYTimes has a great interactive piece from over the weekend where you can really explore the Greenwood neighborhood and get a feel for the scope of the impact of its destruction. nytimes.com/interactive/20… 10/14

READ: There are a lot of good books on this topic ranging from the history of the community, to the attack, to the aftermath. The Oklahoman has a fantastic list here: oklahoman.com/story/lifestyl… 11/14

WATCH: If you’re looking for something to watch, there are a number of documentaries on the topic, including a new one from PBS, to check out. Some really good options here: essence.com/entertainment/… 12/14

LISTEN: Today’s episode of The Daily outlines the events of 100 years ago and starts with the voice of a victim still alive today. nytimes.com/2021/06/01/pod… 13/14

As you learn, it’s important to remember that history isn’t just something in our past. There are still survivors from this massacre. We owe it to them, and to the generations that have and will come after, to understand why this happened and make sure it never does again. END