100 Year Anniversary of a Massacre
The 3 days that changed a neighborhood and its people forever
I took the required history classes in high school and college, and this was not something that was ever written about in the history books I read. Until just a few years ago, even students in Tulsa didn’t learn about this as part of their history classes. The “this” I’m referring to is the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. It began on May 30th with an encounter between a young black man and a young white woman (the circumstances and happenings were in dispute). Over the next two days, mayhem broke out, and on the final day, June 1st, upwards of 300 people were killed, over 800 injured, and the Greenwood area burned to the ground.
Tulsa was and still is a segregated city by all accounts, as are many cities today. The blacks lived north of downtown, and most others lived south. The blacks living north of downtown lived in an area surrounding Greenwood Street that was all-encompassing. Any business this community needed was housed in the Greenwood area. The residents never had to leave for their needs unless they wanted to venture south, which they rarely did. This area was labeled “Black Wall Street” because it was so prosperous and vital to its community. Black Wall Street was known as the wealthiest black neighborhood in America. When the massacre happened, 40 blocks were destroyed, looted, and then burned. Those 40 blocks contained businesses and homes; 1200+ homes were damaged or destroyed. The residents’ insurance companies never compensated the people that lost businesses and homes because a “riot” is not considered an act of God. At that time, insurance only covered “acts of God.” Those responsible for the killings were never tried, much less convicted. The entire community was decimated. This event has destroyed the generational wealth of the descendants of those who owned businesses in this thriving Black Wall Street area.
Someone recommended that I read the young adult novel Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham. I read it last summer, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since then. With the 100th anniversary upon us, the massacre is being brought to the forefront as never before. Because of the testimony in Congress last week by the only 3 people still living that survived the massacre 100 years ago, the dozens of online and print articles, the many podcasts released over the last couple of months, the rest of America is finally learning about this horrible massacre that holds a shameful place in America’s history. There are disagreements over whether to call this a “riot” or a “massacre.” I’m no English scholar, but my definition of a “riot” is two groups of people fighting against each other. A massacre is the killing of multiple people who are defenseless victims. There should be no controversy about what this was and what to call it.
In the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club, this book was our book to read for June 2017. We were fortunate to have the author for a live Zoom event where she talked about the book, the massacre, her research, and a host of other topics related to writing the book. I could do an entire newsletter about this book and the book club’s author event, and I might someday, but for now, I want to focus on the actual event.
At least 300 people died that day; 300 families had a loved one that never came home. People were buried in mass graves. The surviving family members were never able to say goodbye and bury their loved ones. Descendents of those alive at that time say that they were adults before they ever learned about the massacre. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have lived through something like this, lose a family member and most likely your home and business, and still had to continue living day by day.
After reading Dreamland Burning and not getting it out of my mind, I started down a rabbit hole that I haven’t been able to climb out of yet. Reading one article leads to another and another. Looking at artifacts and pictures send me down the rabbit hole again, searching for some obscure fact or minor detail. Listening to a podcast makes me hungry for more information to see if I can learn some new facts. I’ve never had this reaction to an event before. Still, this one has left me starved for more information, more details, more understanding as to how it even happened in the first place. As an American, I’m ashamed of this history and ashamed of the people that committed these horrific acts. When something isn’t documented, when people refuse to talk about it, and a couple of generations go by, it could likely be forgotten forever. Fortunately, truth is prevailing now. While all of the lives lost and the destruction that happened can never be replaced, history is now being told. If there are mass graves, the remains can be located and given a proper burial.
Dreamland Burning was a work of fiction, but the underlying story is based on these facts. There are a couple of other fiction books that I know of that the authors used this event in their books. Most of the books about the massacre are non-fiction; historians write some, and others are written by authors that needed to know more. Many online sites, magazines, and news organizations have created articles, documentaries, and other media surrounding the massacre, rebuilding the Greenwood community, and commemorating the 100th anniversary. Several news agencies and media companies have created podcasts or special episodes in existing podcasts to bring all this to light. Listed below are the resources I used for this newsletter scattered amongst many links of articles, books, documentaries, and podcasts available for those like me who want to know more.
I hope this newsletter has piqued your interest, as Dreamland Burning piqued mine last year. Some sources are linked below that I haven’t gotten to yet. Several podcasts/podcast episodes have just been released in the previous couple of weeks before the 100th anniversary. I have another several dozen links to articles that I haven’t even perused yet. I will eventually get to all those not read and listened to yet as my interest is still high. There will probably be a follow-up newsletter related to more history about the massacre. This is a piece of our history. As horrific as a lot of America’s history is, the past must never be forgotten.
Fiction books
Non-fiction books
If you have Kindle Unlimited, there are several books about the massacre that are available on KU.
Print and online articles
Television and online events
Podcasts
These podcasts can be found on Apple and most all podcast players.
I hope that if you are like me and have only heard about this recently, the links above will help you understand more about what happened and why. These events should never have happened, and this history should never be forgotten.
Like you, my introduction to this event was Dreamland Burning. Thanks for all the info and resources!