This area in Tulsa, Oklahoma is where most African-American families resided and spent their money. The streets were bustling with Black owned businesses, churches, and residential properties. Booker T. Washington named it the Black Metropolis of it's time because of it's rapid growth and opportunities.

Historic Greenwood District

A tour of the historic Greenwood District and some of its most prominent landmarks.

The History of Black Wall Street

This Black-owned neighborhood business was one of the many that was destroyed during the massacre.

Two women are seen sitting together and finishing up dresses right before the massacre started. The back of the photo also states that Emma lost $700.00 and every dress in her shop was burned.

Emma T. Buckner's Sewing Shop

Dick Rowland was a shoe shiner who regularly entered the Drexel Building at 319 S. Main Street to use the restroom during his break. Restrooms were segregated in Tulsa in the early twentieth century, and he could not use the facility at the Main Street parlor where he worked. However, he had received permission from the Drexel Building’s owner to use the restroom on the top floor. On May 30, he got onto an elevator operated by a 17-year-old white woman named Sarah Page. Although historians do not know exactly what happened, most conclude that he tripped when entering the elevator and broke his fall against Ms. Page, causing her to scream. He instinctively ran, knowing the trouble he was facing. A store clerk in the building heard the scream, saw Mr. Rowland running away, and called the police.The Tulsa Tribune, a white-run newspaper, published an inflammatory article on May 31 (re-printed on June 1, as in the image above) titled “Nab Negro for Attacking Girl in Elevator.” The article claimed that Mr. Rowland had been stalking Ms. Page, and had attempted to rape her. Mr. Rowland’s supporters countered that he had simply tripped when entering the elevator, and accidentally bumped into Ms. Page. During this time period in the Jim Crow South, claims of sexual assault by a Black man against a white woman frequently led to a lynching or attempted lynching. Mr. Rowland was arrested on May 31. By the time the afternoon edition of the Tulsa Tribune came out that day, some accounts state that an editorial advertised the call far and wide: “To Lynch a Negro Tonight.” Although this newspaper edition has not been located, it is clear that this was the message spreading through the Tulsa community.

The initial events leading to the Tulsa Race Massacre occurred on Monday, May 30, 1921, when Tulsa’s white community began rallying to lynch a young Black man named Dick Rowland. The trigger was that a white elevator operator named Sarah Page screamed when Mr. Rowland entered the elevator in the Drexel Building, most likely because he tripped into her. He was arrested the following day.

Drexel Building

The original Tulsa County Courthouse was located at West Sixth Street and South Boulder Avenue. As the evening of May 31, 1921 wore on, the crowd surrounding the courthouse grew into the thousands. Some may have been simply curious, but the mood turned violent as the hours passed by. White residents began to chant racial slurs and violent threats. A few members of the crowd tried to break into the courthouse. Law enforcement officers surrounded the building to fend off the mob. Alerted to the events unfolding, a group of several dozen Black World War I veterans and other supporters gathered at the offices of A.J. Smitherman’s newspaper, the Tulsa Star, on North Greenwood Avenue. Carrying revolvers, they arrived at the courthouse with the intent of helping law enforcement defend Dick Rowland from the angry mob. These Black men believed in self-defense and wanted to prevent another lynching. Tensions grew. They were asked to leave by Sheriff Willard McCullough and Barney Cleaver, a well-respected Black deputy--one of only a few on the force. But the presence of armed Black men angered white members of the crowd, who confronted them around 10 pm in the evening of May 31. In the ensuing struggle over a gun carried by one of these men, a shot was fired.Violence broke out as many in the crowd fled, while others armed themselves with guns, torches, and other weapons. Black residents were driven away from the courthouse and back into the Greenwood neighborhood, which was demolished by the white mob. Historians estimate that over 300 Black people were murdered in the next 14 hours.

After he was arrested by Tulsa police officers on the morning of May 31, 1921, Dick Rowland was taken to the county jail on the top floor of the Tulsa County Courthouse. Spurred on by the inflammatory Tulsa Tribune article that afternoon, word began to spread about the alleged assault of a white woman. Law enforcement officials received anonymous calls with threats to lynch Mr. Rowland, and white residents began to gather on the street outside of the courthouse, eventually rallying for his release to the mob. Tensions grew to a breaking point when a gun was fired into the crowd, and the Tulsa Race Massacre began.

Original Tulsa County Courthouse

On June 1, 1921, less than two months after it's first service was held, the church was looted and set ablaze during the infamous Tulsa Race riots. During the riots, the church served as a useful vantage point and was the headquarters for the resistance against the mobs of white rioters. A rumor heard by a mob of white rioters alleged that there was also a stockpile of weapons and ammunition being held within the church. This rumor is thought to be one of the contributing factors to the destruction of the church.The church was completely destroyed during the riots, however the community decided to rebuild and construction of the current building was completed in 1952. It stands today as a symbol of resilience and a reminder of a tumultuous moment in the Greenwood community's history.

Built in 1921, Mount Zion Baptist Church was one of the first buildings built with brick and mortar. The cost to build was estimated at around $92,000, which was a very substantial amount for its time.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Before the Tulsa Race Riot in June of 1921, the Williams Dreamland Theatre stood as a source of entertainment where the community could gather and enjoy various theatrical performances as well as silent films. As the Riots broke out however, the theatre became a source of congregation where people assembled in order to try to develop a plan of action. In the aftermath of the riots, the theatre was destroyed along with many other businesses and various locations within the Greenwood community. The theatre was later rebuilt and fully operated providing African-American film entertainment until the family was forced to sell it as a result of the Great Depression. While the theatre no longer exists, its legacy as one of the few fully operating movie theatres owned, ran by, and geared towards African Americans in history still remains.

The Dreamland Theatre was located in the historic Greenwood District of Tulsa in 1921. It was run by John and Loula Williams and at that time, served as one of the few theaters that catered solely to African American audiences providing live musical entertainment, silent films as well as theatrical revues and seated around 750 individuals.

Williams Dreamland Theatre

Beginning on June 1, 1921, the Oklahoma National Guard and white vigilante citizens arrested and detained over 6,000 Black residents in the Convention Hall, the Tulsa County Fairgrounds, and the baseball stadium McNulty Park. Although the violence during the Tulsa Race Massacre was primarily directed against Black Tulsans, the same population was targeted for arrest. When Oklahoma governor James B.A. Robertson later called for an inquiry into the massacre, it was primarily Black men who were indicted.White men with guns forced Black men into the Convention Hall, their hands raised in surrender. The National Guard led Black citizens to McNulty Park, allegedly for protection, but in reality to control their movements. During the period of martial law from June 1 to June 3, Black residents who were detained were only released if a white citizen vouched for them. Some were held for up to eight days.In an oral history preserved by the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, William Danforth Williams recalls being separated from his mother and father and detained at the Convention Hall as a teenager in the days following the massacre:“But I do know that they caught me about a block away, about four blocks away from home, lined me up, took me down to the Convention Hall, down to the municipal theater. They never did catch my dad. He got out as far as Pine Street and one of his business associates, white, picked him up, took him home to his house. That afternoon, the operator of the theater came down to the Convention Hall where they had me and bailed me out but I didn't know where my mama was till the next morning, I ran into her downtown.” Newspapers such as the Tulsa World reported that Black residents were grateful for the shelter and protection. But it was clear that fear of another uprising also motivated the arrests. One June 2 article noted “frequent reports and rumors that negroes are preparing for revenge.” The National Guard did not want Black residents to be able to organize in retaliation.Meanwhile, the looting of Greenwood businesses and homes continued, ensuring the destruction of Black Wall Street. Nearly 1,000 Black residents lost their homes, and had to live in tents provided by the Red Cross for over a year.

Following the widespread violence against Black residents and the devastation of the Greenwood business district in Tulsa on May 31 to June 1, 1921, the Oklahoma National Guard was deployed and martial law was declared until June 3. Over 6,000 Black residents were arrested and detained in places of internment including the Convention Hall.

Convention Hall (now the Tulsa Theater)

Built in 1913, Booker T. Washington was one of the few schools in the Tulsa school system. Fortunately, the building was able to escape the destruction of the massacre. During that time the American red Cross was able to sit up and help those that were injured.

Booker T. Washington High School

Historians estimate that over 300 Black Americans were murdered in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. In the aftermath of the violence and the devastation of Greenwood, thousands of Black residents were being detained in the Convention Center, the baseball field, and elsewhere, and were unable to participate in immediate cleanup efforts. The evidence suggests that many Black victims of the massacre were buried without grave markers, including in mass graves. Their families, loved ones, and descendants were denied the opportunity to lay them to rest.The lack of closure for descendants and the Black community in Tulsa has had long-lasting effects. In 1997, the Tulsa Race Riot Commission recommended reparations for survivors and their descendants, but the city did not comply. A potential mass grave was found in 1999 in Oaklawn Cemetery at the urging of the Commission, but the courts did not approve exhumation. Finally, in 2018, the City of Tulsa announced plans to investigate sites of potential mass graves, including in Oaklawn Cemetery. These efforts coincided with the lead-up to the centennial commemoration of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. A Public Oversight Committee was created, which includes historians, archaeologists, forensic anthropologists, descendants of victims of the massacre, and leaders in Tulsa’s Black community. The State of Oklahoma Archaeological Survey used ground penetrating radar to identify two areas with anomalies consistent with mass graves. In July and October 2020, archaeologists began digging in Oaklawn Cemetery. One of the areas near Potters’ Field, known as the Original 18, contained coffins. Potters’ Field was an area in the southwest corner of Oaklawn Cemetery set aside for the city’s poorer residents, and has fewer headstones. The finding was consistent with one historical account, in which a survivor of the 1921 massacre recalls, “my relative was made at gunpoint to deliver six coffins to a low spot in Oaklawn.” Further excavation began in Spring 2021. As of June 25, 2021, 19 bodies found in a mass grave had been exhumed from Oaklawn Cemetery and are being analyzed for clues to their identities. At least one set of remains shows evidence of gunshot wounds. A final forensic report will be made in July 2021, and the remains will be interned in Oaklawn Cemetery.

After the massacre in Tulsa spanning from May 31 to June 1, 1921, many Black victims were buried without grave markers, often in mass graves. The lack of closure for descendants and the Black community in Tulsa has had long-lasting, irreparable effects. In 2018, the City of Tulsa announced plans to investigate sites of potential mass graves from the massacre, including in Oaklawn Cemetery. Contributors to the effort include a Public Oversight Committee, historians, archaeologists, and forensic anthropologists. As of June 25, 2021, 19 bodies found in mass graves have been exhumed from Oaklawn Cemetery and are being analyzed for clues to their identities.

Oaklawn Cemetery

"Greenwood Rising is the specific story of the dignity of a people who turned trials, tribulations, and tragedy into a triumph of the human spirit." Centennial Commission members, when defining their story early on in the beginning stages of this project's development, collectively identified five key areas of focus, for this projects and others: (1) education; (2) arts and culture; (3) cultural tourism; (4) commemoration; and (5) economic development. Believing the first step in the process of reconciliation is knowledge and acknowledgment of the past, this museum serves to meet all five of those criteria in order to provide a jumping off point for people of today to learn about, and from, the past.

Planned to officially open in July of 2021, the Greenwood Rising Black History Museum is the legacy project of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, which began under the leadership of Sen. Kevin Mathews in 2015, and which included input from prominent Greenwood District organizations like the Greenwood Cultural Center, the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, and the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation.

Greenwood Rising Black History Museum

In their own words, the Greenwood Cultural Center 'stands as a monument to the scores of pioneers, trailblazers, entrepreneurs, professionals, politicos, and citizens who created a renowned and respected community despite formidable odds". This center serves to promote, preserve, and celebrate African American culture and heritage, and provide educational resources for those wishing to learn more about the history and story of Black Wall Street and the historic Greenwood District. The center holds pictorial exhibits with an array of historic images detailing the background of the Greenwood District itself, as well as the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, and often hosts events, art shows, and other projects that are open to the public.The John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation (and the Reconciliation Park) share a space with the lively Greenwood Cultural Center, and offer even more historic background and thought-provoking imagery for those wishing to explore the history of this historic district even deeper. Designated a Literary Landmark by the Literary landmarks Association in 2018, the park opened to the public in 2009, showcasing a 16-foot granite structure created by artist Ed Dwight, containing three large bronze sculptures representing actual pictures from the 1921 riot: Hostility, symbolized by a white man fully armed for assault​; Humiliation, showing a Black man with his hands raised in surrender; and Hope, an image of the white director of the Red Cross holding a Black baby. There is also a 25 ft. tall memorial tower depicting the history of the African American Struggle from Africa to America, portraying the migration of slaves with Native Americans on the Trail of Tears, the slave labor experience in the Territories, the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry that won the Battle of Honey Springs, the immigration of free Blacks into Oklahoma, and the thriving towns and cities like Greenwood that they then grew to encompass.The Mabel B. Little Heritage House Museum is the only surviving home from the 1920's in the Greenwood area. It was built in 1925 by Sam and Lucy Mackey, survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Their original home was completely destroyed by fire during the massacre. It is a beautiful home that shows how many Black residents in the Greenwood area of Tulsa lived.This complex of the Greenwood Cultural Center and the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Center and Park serves to provide a multitude of information and cultural and historic education to those wishing to know more about the Greenwood District and the events that took place here in 1921.

The Greenwood Cultural Center is located at 322 N Greenwood Avenue, and is comprised of the Center itself, the Mabel B. Little Heritage House, and a memorial for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. It also shares a space with the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Center and Park, and is right across the street from the Black Wall Street Mural.The Greenwood Cultural Center has historic photos from Greenwood before, during, and after the 1921 race massacre throughout the building. They will often have a movie about the massacre playing and plenty of seating for you and your group to sit and watch. There are books and other items about Greenwood and the Tulsa Race Massacre available for purchase in the administration office. Entry is free, but donations are accepted. Greenwood Cultural Center is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Mabel B. Little Heritage House days and hours are limited. Please call ahead for current open days.

Greenwood Cultural Center

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).

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.

The History of Black Wall Street

Historic Greenwood District

Introduction

Images

Sources