Today In Black History
Black Wall Street
Issue #453 Black History Thursday, January 11, 2024
Welcome to this Today in Black History post. Black History IS American History, no matter how hard some people try to erase our history and contributions.
A lot of this information is available at yenoba.com, blackfacts.com, and onthisday.com.
This post is free to read/listen to for two days. To have 365 24/7 access to all our posts and podcast episodes and financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.
Are you an independent author or creative professional looking for a place where you can tackle those branding and marketing challenges and learn with me through valuable books and online courses? The Global Creative Community Branding and Marketing Academy (GCC BMA) is for you!
Today’s Black WOW!
Black Wall Street, also known as the Greenwood District, was a vibrant and prosperous African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a symbol of Black economic empowerment during a time of racial segregation and Jim Crow laws.
The founding of Black Wall Street dates back to the early 20th century. Black entrepreneurs and professionals established a wide range of businesses in the area, including grocery stores, banks, law offices, and theaters. The District was also home to several churches, schools, and social organizations, and attracted residents from all over the country.
The District fostered a strong sense of community and self-sufficiency, and the success of the residents challenged negative stereotypes about the capabilities of African Americans.
However, the success and prosperity of Black Wall Street threatened the white establishment in Tulsa. Racial tensions were high, and jealousy and resentment simmered beneath the surface. On May 31, 1921, these tensions erupted into one of the deadliest and most devastating acts of racial violence in American history.
The Tulsa Race Massacre, as it came to be known, began when a Black man was falsely accused of assaulting a white woman. A white mob gathered outside the courthouse demanding his lynching. In response, armed black men from the Greenwood District arrived to protect the accused.
The white mob, backed by local law enforcement and even the National Guard, descended upon Black Wall Street, looting homes and businesses, setting them ablaze, and indiscriminately killing Black residents. For the first time in American history, government airplanes bombed an American city. As many as 300 people were killed, and the entire District was destroyed.
The survivors were forcibly relocated and left to rebuild their lives from scratch. The wealth and prosperity of Black Wall Street were wiped out, and it took years for the community to recover. The massacre was largely erased from history, with many Tulsans being unaware of the event until recent years.
Today, efforts are underway to commemorate and preserve the memory of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre. The descendants of the survivors have been working tirelessly to ensure that this dark chapter in history is not forgotten.
One effort is the establishment of the Greenwood Cultural Center, which serves as a hub for education, cultural preservation, and community engagement. The center houses exhibits detailing the history of Black Wall Street and the events of the Tulsa Race Massacre. It also offers educational programs, workshops, and events to promote awareness and understanding.
Furthermore, efforts have been made to integrate the history of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre into school curricula. Educators are working to ensure that students learn about this tragic event and its significance in American history.
Today In Black History
- In 1861, Alabama seceded from the Union.
- In 1892, William D. McCoy from Indiana was appointed minister to Liberia.
- In 1985, Reuben V. Anderson was appointed as the first African American judge for the Mississippi Supreme Court.
- In 1988, anthropologists announced the finding in East Africa of the “mitochondrial mother of mankind” and the first ancestor of the homo sapiens species, which they named “Eve.”
- In 2018, former president Donald Trump called African nations sh*thole countries.
The “Comments” feature has been disabled. Instead, let’s discuss these facts in our community on Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.