Maturity Journal - June 2021 Issue

Maturity Journal
Page 8 June 2021
EMBERS OVER
GREENWOOD
Part 1: The Unspoken
(and Unspeakable)
Disaster
By Peggy K. Newton
May 31 through June 1 marks the
100th anniversary of the Tulsa Riot.
The nation’s worst race riot began on
the basis of unfounded rumors and
ended with the destruction of nearly
the entire northeast section of the
city. The smoldering ruins attested to
the fact that thousands of Black residents
were suddenly left homeless
and hundreds of their friends and
families were wounded and/or dead.
The destruction of the Greenwood
district was so complete that no one
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Lance Revels holds Buddy, a little
boy with a big smile (National
Archives photo)
is sure just how many of the people
perished.
They had lived and thrived in
the area that was so prosperous that
it was known as Black Wall Street.
They owned and operated 191 businesses,
including 30 grocery stores
and a number of theaters, hotels and
transportation services. Three lawyers,
two dentists, 15 doctors and
one chiropractor had their practices
here. A library, two schools, a hospital,
and an office of the Tulsa Public
Health Services served the people,
along with the fraternal lodges and
churches throughout the district.
It was perhaps too prosperous in
the minds of some of Tulsa’s white
citizenry.
You remember learning about
this in 4th grade history, right?
About how the area was vandalized
and looted by out-of-control white
men carrying rifles and other weapons
and about the area being blitzed
by a dozen airplanes from which
turpentine-soaked fire bombs were
dropped on homes, businesses and
churches.
We don’t remember it because
it wasn’t taught in schools. I became
aware of the Tulsa riot a year ago and
felt bad about not knowing about it.
The Tulsa Riot, or more accurately
the Tulsa Massacre, was barely mentioned
in newspapers after 1921.
So no, don’t feel bad if you can’t
remember something you weren’t
taught: a horrific event that was
swept away in secrecy for 75 years or
so. As shocking and painful as it is to
read accounts of it 100 years later, it’s
important to know that something
on this scale of tragedy and horror
did happen. Anyone with an ounce
of decency and a caring heart will
pray that something like this never
happens again.
The first news story to reach
Evansville appeared as bulletins on
the front page, though not under a