The Black residents of Greenwood did not passively endure the onslaught. Lessie Benningfield, also known as Mother Randle, was born in Morris, Oklahoma on November 10, 1914. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Benningfield does not recall much due to her young age during the massacre. As Rowland tried to break his fall with his hands, he may have grabbed Sarah Pages arm. Another firsthand account originates from Eloise Taylor Butler - the daughter of the famed "Peg Leg" Taylor - who was nineteen years old and in Greenwood on that day. Tulsa's main industries at the time of the riot were banking (BOK Financial Corporation), administrative (PennWell, Oklahoma Natural Gas Company), and petroleum engineering services (Skelly Oil), earning Tulsa the title of "Oil Capital of the World". As crews from the Tulsa Fire Department arrived to put out fires, they were turned away at gunpoint. Upon hearing reports that a mob of hundreds of white men had gathered around the jail where Rowland was being held, a group of 75 black men, some armed, arrived at the jail to protect Rowland. Ottawa W. Gurley (known as O. [105] Eleven of them had come from outside of Oklahoma, and possibly as many as half were petroleum industry workers. One of the biggest mysteries around the Tulsa Race Massacre revolves around the two teens in the middle of it. "[24] At the end of the exchange of gunfire, 12 people were dead, 10 white and two black.[15]. "[123], Construction of the Tulsa Union Depot, a large central rail hub connecting three major railroads, began in Greenwood less than two years after the riot. Hal Singer was born on October 8, 1919, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to two working-class parents. See photos of Tulsa, before and after the 1921 attack here. A furious mob of thousands of white men then surged over Black homes, killing, destroying, and snatching everything from dining room furniture to piggy banks. [64], Throughout the early morning hours, groups of armed white and black men squared off in gunfights. Police records vanished. Col. L. J. F. Rooney", "Modern Ku Klux Klan Comes Into Being: Seventeen First Victims", "A Long-Lost Manuscript Contains a Searing Eyewitness Account of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921", "Letter Chas F. Barrett, Adjutant General to Lieut. A struggle ensued, and a shot rang out. 1062", "Tulsa In Remorse to Rebuild Homes; Dead Now Put at 30", "Burned District In Fire Limits, The Morning Tulsa daily world", "Leading Negroes Meet with Committee to sanction Program", "Unbroken Faith Shown In Re-habilitation Program", "Police Chief Donates Rare Picture Of Tulsa's First African-American Officer", "Accusation District Court State of Oklahoma v. John A. Gustafson, Attorney General Civil Case No. Quraysh Ali Lansana, an Oklahoma native and the acting director of the Center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation at Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, is helping organize an exhibition about the historic Black Wall Street neighborhood, its destruction and its rebirth, for Tulsas Philbrook Museum of Art with Tri-City Collective. One hundred years ago on May 31, 1921, and into the next day, a white mob destroyed Tulsas burgeoning Greenwood District, known as the Black Wall Street, in what But we have to remain cautious because we have not done anything to expose the human remains beyond those that have been encountered. The inflammatory Tulsa Tribune articles were cut out before the newspapers were transferred to microfilm. As word of a lynch mob heading to the Tulsa courthouse to murder Rowland spread, a group of 25 Black armed veterans set up to protect his life. DuBois had visited Tulsa in March as the NAACP protested the gruesome lynching of Henry Lowery in Arkansas. Historians tend to de-emphasize the violence waged against Black people in AmericaTulsa is one prominent example. 1062", "The Chicago whip. He named the main street after Greenwood, Miss., and the name was later extended to the whole neighborhood. This was quickly halted as residents within two weeks had started to erect full-sized wooden frame dwellings in contravention of the agreement. The Tulsa shooting comes amid a spate of shootings in the U.S., including the Uvalde shooting in Texas where 21 people -- including 19 children -- were killed, and a mass He told his family that he had tripped over the elevator threshold and accidentally grabbed a white girl and she had screamed. The Tulsa race massacre, also known as the Tulsa race riot or the Black Wall Street massacre,[12] was a two-day-long massacre[13] that took place between May 31 June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as deputies and armed by city government officials,[14] attacked black residents and destroyed homes and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. [189] The state requires that civil rights cases be filed within two years of the event. City officials cleansed the history books so thoroughly that when Nancy Feldman, a lawyer from Illinois, started teaching her students at the University of Tulsa about the massacre in the late 1940s, they didnt believe her. Because of their work, the Red Cross saved lives of those injured, as well as helped to keep thousands of black Tulsans in the city who would have otherwise had to leave. [42] The police determined that what happened between the two teenagers was less than an assault, and conducted a low-key investigation rather than launching a man-hunt for her alleged assailant. Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. The National Guard rounded up numerous black people and took them to the Convention Hall on Brady Street for detention. [3], The Red Cross, in their preliminary overview, mentioned wide-ranging external estimates of 55 to 300 dead; however, because of the hurried nature of undocumented burials, they declined to submit an official estimate, stating, "The number of dead is a matter of conjecture. True deliverance for the people of Greenwood, however, came from within, as documented in their own record of the massacre and its aftermath. For Black people, Greenwood is a reminder of the need to stay vigilant. Here is a brief history of Greenwood, the racist killings, and what happened afterward, drawn from interviews with researchers and local officials, public records, and a commissions 2001 report on the massacre. Danny Torgerson tells 2 News Oklahoma that Ashton has a cut The Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the appeal. From details of the elevator encounter that led to the massacre to false narratives in newspapers, experts clarify some lesser known moments. "[121] The reconstruction committee organized a forum to discuss their proposal with community leaders and stakeholders. In the immediate aftermath of the massacre, the Ku Klux Klan used it as a recruiting tool, and within months, its Tulsa chapter became one of the nations largest, according to the 2001 report. [138][139], Several people tried to document the events, gather photographs, and record the names of the dead and injured. "[48] The paper was known at the time to have a "sensationalist" style of news writing. [163][164], Essie Johnson (1916-2006) was five years old when the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 took place. TULSA, Okla. A driver racing in the Chili Bowl Nationals is in the hospital after a crash Wednesday night. In the end, no one was convicted of charges for the deaths, injuries or property damage.[117]. But the wound remains open. [115], Governor James B. Eyewitnesses saw women being chased from their homes There was a white store clerk in the Drexel building who heard the scream and saw Dick running out of the elevator, he explained. [101] Ground-penetrating radar was used to investigate the sites purported to contain these mass graves. George Monroe died in 2001. I had friends to play with. In the 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma was filled with gangs such as the greasers and socs. A few moments later, 17-year-old elevator operator Sarah Page screamed. 2156, which would prevent most of the victims from rebuilding and the insurance companies from paying for damage caused by the massacre, even as white pawnshop and hardware store owners were compensated for damages to their shops. The sites were examined, and no evidence of ground disturbance indicative of mass graves was found. DuBois had visited Tulsa in March as the NAACP protested the gruesome lynching of Henry Lowery in Arkansas. In the early 1900s, Greenwood a Black neighborhood in Tulsa, Okla. was a thriving, successful, independent town. The article states that these community leaders would again meet at the First Baptist Church in the following days. For Black Tulsans, the massacre resulted in a decline in home ownership, occupational status and educational attainment, according to a recent study through the 1940s Soon the Greenwood neighborhood that was built for Black people, by Black people was thriving. Biplanes dropped fiery turpentine bombs from the night skies onto their rooftopsthe first aerial bombing of an American city in history. By sunset around 7:30p.m., the several hundred white residents assembled outside the courthouse appeared to have the makings of a lynch mob. And so, I wish it might be in this matter of our national problem of races." Dave Higgins pic.twitter.com/tavuiNxDDr. Major James Bell of the 180th Infantry Regiment learned of the mounting situation downtown and the possibility of a break-in, and he consequently took measures to prevent it. A Negro was a Negro on that day and was forced to march with his hands up for blocks. After the massacre, officials set about erasing it from the citys historical record. The American Civil War, which ended in 1865, was still in living memory; civil rights for African Americans were lacking. The Torgerson family tells me theyre thankful for everyones support and theyre especially grateful for the chili bowl staff. Danny Torgerson calls what happened at this race a freak accident. Multiple eyewitness reports and "oral histories" suggested the graves could have been dug at three different cemeteries across the city. He was prosecuted on multiple counts: refusing to enforce prohibition, refusing to enforce anti-prostitution laws; operating a stolen automobile-laundering racket and allowing known automobile thieves to escape justice, for the purpose of extorting the citizens of Tulsa for rewards relating to their return; repurposing vehicles for his own use or sale; operating a fake detective agency for the purpose of billing the city of Tulsa for investigative duties he was already being paid for as chief of police; failing to enforce gun laws; and failure to take action during the riots. [154], George Monroe was five years old during the attack on the Greenwood district. Nobody knows for sure what happened, but a common suggestion is that Rowland may have tripped and, to catch his fall, grabbed Pages arm. The first "battle" was said to last a few seconds or so, but took a toll, as ten whites and two black men lay dead or dying in the street. The exhibition will feature 33 Oklahoma-based artists. One particularly disturbing case involved the frequent rape, by her father, of an 11-year-old girl who had since become pregnant. In April 2007, Ogletree appealed to the U.S. Congress to pass a bill extending the statute of limitations for the case, given the state and city's accountability for the destruction and the long suppression of material about it. Weve gotten to know them the last couple years and have loved to c the racer Ashton is and the friendships we have made! Simms described the events as devastating and scary. He then decided that Dick must have tried to assault her.. She recounts how Peg Leg Taylor "fought his way to" Eloise and helped her escape into the woods north of the city, where they then lay and hid while White rioters continued to hunt down and kill other survivors around them. [49] The Tulsa Race Riot Commission in 1997 offered a reward for a copy of the editorial, which went unclaimed. [143] That same year, the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce decided to commemorate the riot, but when they read the accounts and saw photos gathered by Ed Wheeler, host of a radio history program, detailing the specifics of the riot, they refused to publish them. The difference in mortality rate in North Tulsa is 11 percent fewer years than whites in South Tulsa. It took a further two-month delay to secure the court decision to reinstate the previous fire code. [148] Tulsa Jewish Community helped save African Americans during the riot.[149]. But they knew that a racial brother was in dire danger, and so they risked their lives and some of them gave their lives to protect him, he explained. Thats Dr. Jackson, yelled Oliphant. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 189519? [166], Eloise Taylor was nineteen years old and she lived in Greenwood when the Massacre took place. Gurley, who purchased 40 acres of land on the north side of Tulsa and opened a rooming house and provided loans to help other Black people start their own businesses. The Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma was a thriving city within a citya symbol of pride, success and wealth. When he heard of the Glenn Pool oil strike, Gurley saw opportunity and moved to Tulsa in 1906. The rioters shot indiscriminately and killed many along the way. But the massacres victims were hastily buried in unmarked graves and a culture of silence soon became the norm. [41], The 2001 Oklahoma Commission Final Report notes that it was unusual for both Rowland and Page to be working downtown on Memorial Day when most stores and businesses were closed, but it has also been speculated that Rowland was there because the shine parlor which he worked at may have been open, to draw in some of the parade traffic, while Page had been required to work in order to transport Drexel Building employees and their families to choice parade viewing spots on the building's upper floors. They haven't talked about it for nearly 50 years. Goble estimates 100300 deaths,[103] and Franklin and Ellsworth estimate 75100 deaths and describe some of the higher estimates as dubious as the low estimates. [20] The 2001 Tulsa Reparations Coalition examination of events identified 39 dead, 26 black and 13 white, based on contemporary autopsy reports, death certificates, and other records. [160] Benningfield is now a part of an active lawsuit with the Greenwood Advocates, which is a team of human and civil rights lawyers fighting for justice for victims and their families. He wears every bit of it. Historians are still assessing the viability of witness reports of low-flying airplanes, some raining bullets or incendiaries, that became an enduring theme in the reconstruction of the events. In North Tulsa, where Greenwood was located, there is not a hospital and there has not been one there since the massacre. Schools in Oklahoma have been required to teach students about the massacre since 2002,[28] and in 2020, the massacre officially became a part of the Oklahoma school curriculum. Relief was sent in from around the country, from the Red Cross, churches, and other philanthropies, though Tulsa city officials attempted to block it. A massive share of people in Greenwood were left homeless. Police received a call about the shooting at the Natalie Medical Building at the St Francis Hospital campus just before 4pm and arrived at the scene "[47], The Tulsa Tribune, owned, published, and edited by Richard Lloyd Jones, and one of two white-owned papers which were published in Tulsa, broke the story in that afternoon's edition with the headline: "Nab Negro for Attacking Girl In an Elevator," describing the alleged incident. The lives of two Greenwood teens is fictionalized in the recent young adult novel Angel of Greenwood.. A rolling gunfight ensued. [167] The commission had originally been called the "Tulsa Race Riot Commission", but in November 2018, the name was changed to "Tulsa Race Massacre Commission. [175] On December 17, 2019, the team of forensic archaeologists announced that they had found anomalies which are consistent with that of human-dug pits beneath the ground at Oaklawn Cemetery and the ground where the Interstate 244 bridge crosses the Arkansas River. Although vastly outnumbered by the growing crowd out on the street, Sheriff McCullough turned the men away.[58]. She describes the feelings of fright and confusion. [177] An initial dig at a suspected area of the Oaklawn Cemetery in July 2020 found no human remains. [162] As a young boy, Singer hung out by the rail tracks and invited jazz bands to come over and have some of his mother's cooking. The violence in Tulsa in 1921 claimed more than lives, it also decimated 35 blocks of what had been a bustling, self-contained hub in the city's Greenwood District, commonly known as Black Wall Street. Meanwhile, his troops paused to eat breakfast. [6], The Morning Tulsa Daily World stated, "Cleaver named Will Robinson, a dope peddler and all-around bad negro, as the leader of the armed blacks. Singer was 18 months old when the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 took place. She recalled many businesses and homes were burnt to the ground. I still see Black businesses being burned. . The park includes three statues of figures by sculptor Ed Dwight, representing Hostility, Humiliation and Hope. [24] Law enforcement personnel were thought to be aboard at least some flights. Black professionals, including doctors, dentists, lawyers, and clergy, served the community. Of course, it may simply be the case that they were targeted first only out of convenience - Archer being the first street on Greenwood's side of the Frisco Tracks. Eloise finally opened up to her great-granddaughters about her experience in 1997, only a few short years before she died in 2000 at the age of 98.[25]. In 1925, Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League held its annual meeting in Tulsas partially restored business district. [192], An extensive curriculum on the event was provided to Oklahoma school districts in 2020. She recalled seeing women walking on the railroad track with no shoes in their nightgowns. Johnson of the Salvation Army in Tulsa, said that 37 blacks were employed as gravediggers to bury 120 blacks in individual graves without coffins on Friday and Saturday. TULSA, Okla. A driver racing in the Chili Bowl Nationals is in the hospital after a crash Wednesday night. Tulsa police officers were identified by eyewitnesses as setting fire to Black homes, shooting residents and stealing. He is author of, State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils, HUMANITIES: The Magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities, SUBSCRIBE FOR HUMANITIES MAGAZINE PRINT EDITION, Sign up for HUMANITIES Magazine newsletter, Chronicling America: History American Newspapers. Theres really no way of knowing exactly how many people died. Tulsa Race Massacre: What happened in 1921? I had everything a child could need. Dan Beaver. S. MacQueen, a bailiff and failed candidate for sheriff, grabbed a tall Black mans .45-caliber Army-issue handgun, leading to this exchange: N, where are you going with that pistol?. What is known is that 35 square blocks were burned down and destroyed and that many massacre survivors would flee the city in order to relocate elsewhere in the United States. "[173] After input from the public, officials from the Oklahoma Archeological Survey used three subsurface scanning techniques to survey Newblock Park, Oaklawn Cemetery, and an area known as The Canes along the Arkansas River. [129][130] An assistant of the attorney general replied to one such letter by stating that their budget was too stretched to respond and recommending instead that the citizens of Tulsa simply vote for new officers. He bought land and opened another general store north of Tulsas St. Louis and San Francisco or Frisco Railroad tracks. At 5:08 a.m. on June 1, 1921, a whistle pierced the predawn quiet of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother was trying to get her and her siblings to Golden Gate Park. Eyewitnesses reported gunshots, presumably fired into the air, increasing in frequency during the evening.[62]. Smithermans, W.E.B. A 1921 letter from an officer of the Service Company, Third Infantry, Oklahoma National Guard, who arrived on May 31, 1921, reported numerous events related to the suppression of the riot: Captain John W. McCune reported that stockpiled ammunition within the burning structures began to explode which might have further contributed to casualties. It was burned to the ground in the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, in which a local white mob gathered and attacked the area. In the late 1960s, Don Ross, a reporter who later became a Democratic state legislator, began investigating the history of the massacre. She spent the rest of her childhood and young adulthood in Tulsa and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. Anyone can read what you share. TULSA, Okla. A driver racing in the Chili Bowl Nationals is in the hospital after a crash Wednesday night. So they determined theyd tamp it down.. So very quickly the riot stopped being mentioned in either of Tulsa's daily white newspapers. 1062", "Letter from Lieutenant Colonel L. J. F. Rooney and Charles Daley of the Inspector General's Department to the Adjutant General, June 3, 1921", "Tulsa race massacre of 1921 | Commission, Facts, & Books | Britannica", "HBO's 'Watchmen' depicts a deadly Tulsa race massacre that was all too real", The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, "The Tulsa Riot of 1921: Collective Violence and Racial Frames", "A Black Wall Street Legend - The Story of Peg Leg Taylor and the Legacy of Trauma", "Black Wall Street: The African American Haven That Burned and Then Rose From the Ashes", "Curriculum being developed to teach Tulsa race massacre", "The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Will Officially Become a Part of the Oklahoma School Curriculum Beginning in the Fall", "How Native American Slaveholders Complicate the Trail of Tears Narrative", The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, "How 'The Birth of a Nation' Revived the Ku Klux Klan", "Tulsa History: Urban Development (19011945)", "Tulsa Race Riot legacy still felt in the city", "1921 Race Riot:Tribune mystery unsolved", "96 Years Later The Greenwood Cultural Center 1921 Race Riot Massacre Facts with Video", "Letter Captain Frank Van Voorhis to Lieut. 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