A Brief History
On May 31, 1921, one of the saddest examples of racial hatred in American history occurred when White Oklahomans attacked a wealthy Black neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma known as the Greenwood District, or just “The Black Wall Street.”
Digging Deeper
One of the wealthiest Black sections of the US, the area was home to successful African American business owners as well as community leaders. The trigger for the attack was an alleged incident of assault on a White girl by a Black youth. Before the riot finally ended on June 1st with the National Guard being called out, 26 Black residents and 10 White people were dead and hundreds more were injured though as many as 200 Black and 50 White deaths are possible.
Property damage was extreme, with 35 of the 40 blocks destroyed. Although much of the burned out area was rebuilt, many of the residents left Tulsa and the previous wealth was not restored. Recently much attention has been given to this horrible event, including calls for reparations.
Question for students (and subscribers): Should the surviving victims or their descendants be compensated for injuries and damages? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Hirsch, James. Riot And Remembrance: The Tulsa Race Riot and Its Legacy. Mariner Books, 2014.
World Changing History. Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921: The History of Black Wall Street, and its Destruction in America’s Worst and Most Controversial Racial Riot. Kindle, 2020.
The featured image in this article, a photograph of homes and businesses burned in Greenwood, is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
