Today I learned about one of the biggest moments of racial violence in modern history, which has, unfortunately, been largely forgotten about.
On one hand, Tulsa, OK, was one of the only places in the USA in 1921 where african-americans were prosperous. Indeed, the Greenwood district of Tulsa was nicknamed ''the black wall street'' in the early 20th century.
On the other hand, in the 1920s, hate groups like the KKK were at their peak recruitment. In other words, racial tensions ran high in the black wall street, and it was perhaps the ideal time and place for a mass event of racial violence to occur.
The match that lit the fuse was when a black man called Dick Rowland allegedly assaulted a white woman named Sarah Page. After Rowland was arrested, hundreds of white men went to the jail to lynch him. Around 75 black men came to ensure his safety, some of them carrying weapons.
One of the African-American men was disarmed by a white man and a shot was fired. What ensued was a riot that would claim the lives of an estimated 75-300 people with over 800 injured, most of them black. All over the city, thousands of houses and shops were looted and burned.(Equivalent to over $30M damages in today's money)
I created a free-space profile for the Tulsa massacre, I would really appreciate help editing it. Perhaps we can also create profiles for the known victims.
Did you learn something new today?
