WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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This is a rebroadcast from August 17, 2020.
Hosts Cornelius Wright and Amnita Myers discuss the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre with Liz Mitchel, a regular Bring It On! anchor and producer of award-winning WFHB segment “Dark Past, Bring Future”, and Professor Jewell Parker-Rhodes, bestselling novelist and award-winning academic.
The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred over the span of two days in 1921, from May 31 to June 1, when mobs of whites from the area indiscriminately attacked and often killed the black residents, especially those living in the Greenwood District of Tulsa. The white mobs went on to destroy more than 35 square blocks of what was then the wealthiest black community in the United States, which was dubbed the “Black Wall Street”.
In mid-June, Donald Trump was widely criticized as extremely insensitive to this tragedy when he scheduled his “Keep America Great” rally in Tulsa, OK shortly after the Massacre’s 99-year anniversary and on, and then rescheduled to the day after, Juneteenth. With the spark of the massacre starting with the arrest of 19-year-old black Dick Rowland for the assault of Sarah Page, a 17-year-old white, rumors had spread that Rowland was going to be lynched. Reportedly, 75 black men, some armed, arrived at the jail to ensure that would not happen. After reassurance from the sheriff, while the group of black men was leaving the jail, a member of the white mob already assembled at the jail attempted to disarm one of the black men. A shot was fired, and, according to the sheriff, “all hell broke loose”.
Many members of the white mob were deputized and armed by city officials. It is estimated that more than 800 black residents were hospitalized and up to 6,000 black residents were detained, many for several days. Officially, 36 were killed in the Race Massacre, but historians have estimated that anywhere from 75 to 300 were killed. Black Wall Street was left in ashes.
Professor Jewell Parker Rhodes and Liz Mitchell come to Bring It On! to help us understand this tragedy and its long-lasting psychological and economic impact on the black communities in Tulsa and throughout the United States.
CREDITS:
The hosts of today’s show are Cornelius Wright and Amnita Myers.
The Executive Producer is Clarence Boone with help from WFHB News Department Director Kade Young.
The original theme music was created by Jamyl Efiom, with additional background tracks by David Baker.
The promotional graphic is provided by William Hosea.
Online writing help provided by Chantalle LaFontant.
