A Scene From The Greenwood Race Riot Of 1921:
On May 31, 1921, What Has Been Called The "Deadliest Race Riot Of The 20th Century," Broke Out In The Greenwood Neighborhood Of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Riot Actually Began Because Of An Incident That Occurred On May 30th.
Dick Rowland, A Black Man, Stepped Onto An Elevator Operated By A White Woman Named Sarah Page, In The Drexel Building.
A Scream Was Heard, Rowland Got Nervous And Ran Out. He Was Accused Of Sexually Attacking Page.
Rowland Was Arrested And Jailed. The White Citizens Became Outraged And Vowed To Get Revenge With A Lynching Of Rowland.
The Black Community Was Equally ensensed And Deceided To Defend Rowland.
Outside The Courthouse, 75 Black Men Came Together And Offered To Protect Rowland. The Sheriff Refused Their Help.
A White Man Attempted To Disarm One Of The Black Men. They Began Wrestling And During The Struggle A Gun Discharged. That Shot Set Off The Race Riot That Would Last 12 Hours. The Violence Spilled Into The Greenwood District, Then, An Affluent African American Community In Tulsa.
White Rioters Randomly Shot And Killed Black Bystanders, And Burned And Looted Black Homes And Businesses. The Oklahoma City National Guard Was Called In To Help Settle The Situation.
Armed Blacks Tried To Defend Themselves, But Were Eventually Overwhelmed By Large Numbers Of White Mobsters. There Were Even Reports That Planes Flew Overhead, Dropping Home-Made Kerosene Bombs On Innocent People.
It Became Clear That The White Jealous, Mob Wanted To Devastate An Entire Black Community, Which Had Been Called The "Negro Wall Street" (Also Called The "Black Wall Street"), Because Of All The Thriving Black Businesses That Existed In Northern Tulsa.
After The Riots, Some 3,000 Blacks Were Dead. 600 Successful Businesses Were Destroyed. Among These: 21 Churches, 21 Restaurants, 30 Grocery Stores, Two Movie Theaters, A Hospital, A Bank, libraries, Schools, Law Offices, 6 Private Airplanes And A Bus System.
Blacks Who Survived The Holocaust Were Forced To Flee Tulsa And Move To Other States And Cities.
On April 7, 2001, The Tulsa Reparations Coalition Was Formed To Get Restitution For The Damages Suffered By Tulsa's Black Community During The Greenwood Race Riot Of 1921.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert A. Gaddy, Jr.
