The 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Grace Pottebaum, Impact Investing Intern, Garrett Evangelical-Theological Seminary

The end of May, 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. On May 31st and June 1st, 1921, the Greenwood district of Tulsa experienced what remains known as the worst incident of racial violence in U.S history. A predominantly black neighborhood, the Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street, was the center for many thriving black business owners and prosperity of black wealth. The massacre took place after tensions in the city rose following an incident in an elevator  involving a young black man, Dick Rowland, and a young white woman, Sarah Page. The following day Rowland was arrested, and a white mob converged on the Greenwood District. 

This historic event is personal to me as I am a white student who grew up in the public-school systems of Tulsa. I was never taught the history of my city. It was introduced to me after I moved away from Tulsa. It was a new history teacher who finally taught my class the Tulsa Race Riots while I was in high school. This was the first time all of my classmates had ever been told about what took place.

The mob that attacked the city included police officers, city officials, and white members of the Tulsan community. The attack was led on ground and in air: it was the first firebombing of a city by aircraft. According to the Red Cross, an estimated 1,265 homes were burned to the ground, and another 215 were looted without being torched. The damage included a school, hospital, churches, stores, and many other black-owned businesses. The destruction impacted up to 35 square blocks. At the end of the day charges were dropped against Dick Rowland and an estimated 300 individuals died along with the wealth of Black Wall Street. 

Unfortunately, the removal and rewriting of history is not an uncommon in American History. Some attribute the massacre to jealousy of Black Wall Street’s success, or undeniable racism. To this day it is hard to not imagine what Tulsa and the economic status of black Americans would look like if the Greenwood District of Tulsa had not been demolished.

100 years later, the economic impact of this devastating event still remains. No criminal charges have been made, and no justice or reparations has been provided to the black communities affected by the false charges against Rowland. 

In 2001 the Race Riot Reconciliation Act was created to ensure 500 scholarships for North Tulsa and an estimated $150,000 was given to families of survivors. However, none of the requests came to fruition. Therefore, in 2003 Harvard Law School Professor, Charles Ogletree, along with hundreds of Tulsa survivors attempted to sue the city of Tulsa. Once again, the case was dismissed after it was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005. Scholars are still trying to estimate the economic damages, currently underestimated around 25 million dollars. 

President Biden is expected to meet with the three remaining survivors of the massacre and to ensure legislation to readdress denied insurance claims on damaged property. What has been promising is the work of Congresswoman Jackson Lee, a member of the House Judiciary Committee. 

Congresswoman Lee states that conversation around reparations is underway. “We’re talking also about reparations right now when it comes to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the 100th anniversary of the massacre there, Black Wall Street, the destruction of a viable, economically viable, self-sustaining Black community that was broken up because of racism,” 

Additional work towards justice is led by Congressman Gregory Meeks, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He states that these acts need to be addressed as human rights issues. The anniversary of this event during our current socio-political environment appears to be a recipe for change. I believe that the legislative support the black community has recently gained in light of the 100th anniversary is promising, and many are waiting and watching to see what actions take place next. 

For more information, please review the documents below. 

Insurance Exclusions Left Black Tulsans Footing the Bill for the Massacre. https://www.wsj.com/articles/insurance-exclusions-left-black-tulsans-footing-the-bill-for-the-massacre-11622293201 

Congresswoman urges crowd to keep fighting for Tulsa Race Massacre reparations. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/congresswoman-urges-crowd-to-keep-fighting-for-tulsa-race-massacre-reparations/ar-AAKwUps 

Oklahoma Lawsuit Seeks Reparations In Connection To 1921 Tulsa Massacre https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/09/03/909151983/oklahoma-lawsuit-seeks-reparations-in-connection-to-1921-tulsa-massacre 

Concert commemorating Tulsa race massacre canceled https://news.yahoo.com/concert-event-commemorating-tulsa-race-195118617.html 

Biden laments ‘deep roots of racial terror’ in US on Tulsa massacre anniversary. https://nypost.com/2021/05/31/biden-talks-racial-terror-on-tulsa-massacre-anniversary/