Black Wall Street Mural

Chris "Sker" Rogers, a local Tulsa artist, created this mural alongside fellow Tulsan Bill White and Kansas City artist Donald “Scribe” Ross, to spark conversations about Greenwood and increase cultural tourism to historical district. This mural was the product of a 10-month long project that was sponsored by the Tulsa Race Massacre Commission, and is now - due to popular demand - included in public tours of the Greenwood Cultural Center and Mabel B. Little Heritage House.

Each letter of this artfully crafted mural represents something different:

The “B” portrays an image of the Williams Dreamland Theatre, and symbolizes the once thriving business community that defined Black Wall Street;

The first “L” pays tribute to the Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of north Tulsa’s oldest institutions.

The “A” acknowledges the north Tulsa music community that helps to energize Greenwood.

The “C” shows that family has always been at the heart of the Greenwood community.

A “K” depicts the flames and destruction that devastated the Greenwood District during the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

The “W” has two representations - the portrayal of the 1920s vehicle symbolizes the economic engine that drove the success of Greenwood, and the dollar signs portray the slow disintegration of wealth from the community over time.

A second “A” salutes prior artwork that was displayed on the wall before the current mural project (which can still be seen in the google map street view of where the mural resides, as it has not been updated since the current mural was created).

The second “L” pays homage to The Oklahoma Eagle, which is Tulsa’s single Black-owned newspaper.

The third “L” in the name honors the Gap Band, a local music icon whose name salutes Greenwood, Archer and Pine streets.

An “S” highlights the tradition of Juneteenth celebrations.

The final “T”, featuring the image of a hornet, recognizes Booker T. Washington High School, which was once in Greenwood.

(Marshall, 2019).

Marshall, Kendrick. Greenwood Avenue: A piece of art begins to tell the story of Black Wall Street, TulsaWorld. June 29th 2019. Accessed July 6th 2021. https://tulsaworld.com/lifestyles/magazine/greenwood-avenue-a-piece-of-art-begins-to-tell-the-story-of-Black-wall-street/article_d5b9b4e3-23a7-527f-8215-6646ef27b196.html.