5 minute read
CRYSTAL'S CHAMPIONS
One hundred years ago, on May 31 and June 1, 1921, the area of Greenwood Tulsa was the site of a large-scale massacre. It stemmed from an accusation that a young Black man allegedly assaulted a white female elevator operator. This accusation would be the tipping point that led to the deaths of over 300 hundred citizens in Greenwood. The violence from the massacre resulted in $1.5 million in real estate assets destroyed and close to $1 million in personal property. This loss would be equivalent to $150 million in real estate and personal property over $200 million in current terms. In addition, generations of Black families lost their wealth as over 10,000 families had to flee the destruction and find a new home due to those 48 hours.
A Brief History of the Start of Black Wall Street
After the Native American removal act in 1830, many Black individuals who were slaves to the Native American tribes moved to Oklahoma alongside their tribes. Others traveled in the hope of gaining land in the not yet established land between 1889-1891, leading up to 1907 when Oklahoma became a state. According to Black Wall Street Tulsa’s Successful History article, “Oklahoma represented the hope of change and provided a chance for African Americans to not only leave the lands of slavery but oppose the harsh racism of their previous homes.” Published in 2006. Black Wall Street grew prosperous using a model established by Booker T. Washington and lead by C.W. Greene. Greene was the first Agriculture teacher at the Tuskegee Institute, and Washington was a famous author, orator, and advisor to U.S presidents. He encouraged the community that white Tulsans referred to as “Little Africa” to continue building and cooperating within their community. They were essentially creating their financial ecosystem and securing their ownership and independence from outside communities. Greene used his words as inspiration and officially named this area Greenwood in 1906. In 1921, when the devastation occurred, it was home to 10,000 black residents. The 15-year establishment “Black Wall Street” was home to several attorneys, real estate agents, entrepreneurs, and doctors who offered their services to the community. One such entrepreneur was J.B. Stratford, who believed Black people had a better chance of economic advancement if they pooled their resources and supported each other’s businesses. So Stafford bought land and sold them to members of the community to be used as residential housing or businesses. By 1921, Stratford was considered one of the wealthiest Black individuals in the country. O.W. Gurley, another entrepreneur, left his job at the post office in Arkansas and traveled alongside his wife Emma at 25 to seek freedom and land in the Great Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893. When he moved to Tulsa in 1905, he bought land north of the Frisco train track. He envisioned this land would be the haven for emancipated Blacks migrating west. You can learn more about Gurley in “The Baron of Black Wall Street,” written by Antoine Gara for Forbes magazine. Another notable name in the history of Black Wall Street is John Hope Franklin who was a historian from Oklahoma who spent a large portion of his life defending survivors of 1921. Franklin became an expert on oil law as he represented Black and Native American people against white oil barons who disputed oil ownership. Franklin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2009 by President Bill Clinton.
Modern-day Tulsa Greenwood District: My Experience
Walking along these streets filled with a history over Memorial weekend was a moment in time I won’t soon forget. I was blessed to witness individuals from all over the country come together to commemorate Greenwood’s legacy while collectively mourning the lives and futures that were lost that day. We started our journey touring John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park commemorating the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. There they had a fantastic sculpture that you see pictured here, this 25 - foot tall memorial tower depicts the history of the African American struggle from Africa to America. An additional triad statue with three sides depicted actual images from the Tulsa Race Riot inscribed with Hostility, Humiliation, and Hope. “Hostility” shows a white man with a gun, “Humiliation” is a black man surrendering, and “Hope” is the Red Cross director, a white man, holding a black baby. This park was not like a traditional park but had a history lesson of the era and allowed us to be centered on what we were about to explore. A quote from B.C Franklin, the father of John Hope and one of the original residents of Greenwood, greets you at the entrance “Lifting as we climb, the eternal verities shall prevail.” From the streets of John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park to the blocks encompassing Greenwood District, there is a stark reflection of the greatness that the Black community created at the start of the century. At the centennial, my friends and I watched live music, spoken word poetry, and displays of activism in the street. We met community leaders from Tulsa and the greater United States, like Representative Maxine Water, Roland Martin, and Ben Crump. We listened to Alfre Woodard on the stage while a young man tasked us all to “Learn, Lament and Lift” as we take part in this journey. It was truly awe-inspiring. Seeing plaques on the ground marking the spot where a business or house had once stood I could picture what the streets would have looked like 100 years ago. Stopping by the infamous Vernon AME church is the only black-owned structure still standing, and seeing the work they put into making sure it forever stood as a memory of days past. Walking along these streets with my new and old friends, I felt love, acceptance, and community surrounding me. This feeling only fueled my desire to continue doing everything I can to be the change I want to see in the world. If you have the time and ability to travel to Tulsa, please do! There is so much history to discover about the historic Greenwood area. I encourage you to please take the time to educate yourself and focus your energies or as the speaker who resonated with me so clearly, “Learn, Lament and Lift.”
Pictured here: Angie Franklin, Steffie Sissoko, Lynette Woodard, Crystal Swearingen and Vonie Adams in Tulsa at the John Hope Franklin Park Monument
