In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, the hosts delve into the history of the Greenwood community in Tulsa, Oklahoma—an affluent, self-contained Black neighborhood dubbed "Black Wall Street" in the early 20th century. They recount the circumstances that led to the devastating Tulsa massacre in 1921, when a white lynch mob launched a coordinated attack on Greenwood, burning and bombing the thriving community to the ground.
The episode explores how a minor incident between a Black man and a white woman sparked this outbreak of violence, which went unchecked by authorities and left countless Black residents dead or displaced. The hosts also shed light on the aftermath and cover-up, detailing how this atrocity was buried from public discourse for decades before recent efforts brought it to wider attention.
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The Greenwood community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, nicknamed "Black Wall Street," was an affluent, self-contained Black community in the early 20th century, according to the summary. With over 10,000 residents and 600 thriving businesses, including 15 Black millionaires, Greenwood exemplified Black prosperity. The podcast hosts state that Jim Crow laws prohibiting Black people from white-owned businesses led Greenwood residents to establish their own covenant restricting land and business ownership to only Black individuals, fostering economic independence.
The podcast summary describes how a minor incident between a Black shoeshiner, Diamond Dick Rowland, and a white elevator operator, Sarah Page, sparked an inflammatory reaction. After an alleged assault, the local newspaper published reports inciting a white lynch mob to gather at the courthouse, where Rowland was held. When armed Black WWI veterans arrived to protect Rowland, an accidental gunshot ensued, igniting the wider violence.
According to eyewitnesses cited, the white rioters, deputized by authorities, conducted a coordinated assault on Greenwood. Residents were forcibly driven from homes at gunpoint, with many killed or burned alive. The summary states the rioters systematically burned over 1,200 homes and businesses across 35 blocks, including the bombing of the community from private airplanes.
The podcast hosts detail the lack of accountability, with no arrests or prosecutions of white rioters despite the immense damage estimated in today's dollars. Funerals were prohibited, and victims' bodies were disposed of in unmarked graves. The Tulsa massacre was then buried from public discourse for decades until investigations and media coverage gradually exposed its history, the summary states.
1-Page Summary
The Greenwood community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as "Black Wall Street," was a beacon of Black affluence and a symbol of self-reliance in the early 20th century.
Home to over 10,000 Black residents and 600 thriving businesses, including 15 Black millionaires, Greenwood exemplified Black prosperity. The area boasted amenities such as indoor plumbing and offered excellent public schools, often surpassing those available in white parts of Tulsa.
Due to Jim Crow segregation laws, Greenwood residents were prohibited from patronizing white-owned businesses, marrying outside of their race, or frequenting areas designated for white people. This led to the establishment of a covenant, initiated by the community itself, restricting land and business ownership exclusively to Black individuals to maintain and protect their economic prosperity.
Additionally, residents of Greenwood bui ...
The rise and prosperity of the Greenwood community in Tulsa, Oklahoma
The Tulsa massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history, was triggered by a minor incident that led to an eruption of white mob violence against the Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Diamond Dick Rowland, a Black shoe shiner who was popular and considered handsome, on May 30th, 1921 had an encounter with a white elevator operator named Sarah Page. Accounts of their interaction vary—some say Rowland would ride the elevator operated by Page to use a segregated bathroom, while others imply he may have been attracted to her. However, it is suggested that Rowland tripped upon entering the elevator and grabbed onto Page’s arm, which resulted in an accusation of assault.
In the racially charged environment of 1921 Tulsa, even perceived attention from a Black man to a white woman could provoke violent consequences. After the incident, Rowland was arrested on an assault charge. The Tulsa Tribune ran an inflammatory article with the headline "Nab Negro for attacking girl in an elevator," and an editorial the following day with "To Lynch Negro Tonight," fueling the white community's demand for lynching. The editorial, believed to have called for Rowland's lynching explicitly, might have been cut out from the only remainin ...
The trigger events and outbreak of the Tulsa massacre
The podcast hosts detail the horrific events of the Tulsa massacre, where a once-thriving African American community suffered catastrophic violence and destruction at the hands of a deputized white mob.
The white rioters, now deputized and armed, started setting fires as they moved into Greenwood, described as an advancing white army intent on flushing out supposed snipers. They conducted a full-on military charge that involved forcibly driving residents out of their homes at gunpoint.
During the massacre, many residents were killed in their yards or burnt alive in their homes. People, including a blind beggar tied to a car, were dragged through the streets. The National Guard, far from quelling the violence, helped arrest Black men, with reports indicating that they even shot at people on the ground. As the firefighters attempted to intervene, they were threatened and warned that Greenwood was off-limits, effectively allowing the district to burn.
The entire Greenwood district was set ablaze, with 35 blocks of buildings—home to homes, businesses, churches, schools, a hospital, and a library—all being sys ...
The violence, destruction, and atrocities committed during the Tulsa massacre
The 1921 Tulsa massacre, a calamitous event in American history, has long been obscured from public discourse. In-depth investigation reveals the extent of cover-ups, the scant accountability for actions committed, and its enduring effects on the community of Greenwood and nationwide.
Despite widespread destruction and loss of life, none of the white participants in the Tulsa massacre faced arrest or prosecution. Instead, a grand jury brought indictments against 20 black individuals. The economic damage inflicted on the Greenwood community was estimated to be between $50 and $100 million in today’s dollars, yet insurance companies skirted responsibility by categorizing the massacre as a “riot,” rendering victims ineligible for compensation. Furthermore, the county commission resisted accepting outside donations, nor did they offer reparations to Greenwood residents to assist in rebuilding.
The aftermath of the massacre saw survivors taken to detention centers, only to be released if a white employer would vouch for them. Unprecedented efforts to conceal the massacre were made; funerals for the victims were banned and bodies were hastily disposed of in the river, coal mines, or unmarked mass graves. It would not be until the late 1990s, with the inception of the Tulsa Race Riot Commission and ongoing archaeological endeavors, that the full extent of the massacre would begin to resurface with investigations into potential mass grave sites.
Greenwood remarkably rebuilt itself in five years and even surpassed its pre-massacre prosperity. Yet, the community eventually succumbed to a decline in the 1960s. Integration allowed for the dispersion of the Black dollar into white-owned businesses, and the construction of Interstate 244 further fragmented and damaged Greenwood’s economy.
The aftermath, cover-up, and long-term impacts of the Tulsa massacre
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