Have you heard of The Tulsa Massacre? It was a two-day-long white terrorist massacre fueled by white supremacy that took place between May 31st and June 1st, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as deputies and armed by city government officials, attacked black residents and destroyed homes and businesses in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Known as Black Wall Street, it was one of the most prosperous African-American communities in the United States. The Tulsa Massacre is considered one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history. Over 6,000 people were held at the Convention Hall and the Fairgrounds, some for as long as eight days. It took a whole day (24 hours) for the violence to cease. In the wake of the violence more than 800 people were treated for injuries and at the time they were saying 36 people died. Historians now believe as many as 300 people may have died. Quite the discrepancy. Public officials provided fire arms and ammunition to individuals that were murdering in this massacre. This all happened because on the morning of May 30th, 1921, a young black man was riding in the elevator with a white woman named Sarah Page. The stories of their interaction grew and grew within the surrounding white communities. What would happen to a successful black city today? Let's use today's Atlanta as an example. That's lowkey Wakanda in America ain't it? Lol sike nah. That’s extreme, but it has earned the title of being the Black Mecca, the US hub for black businesses. Now check out some background info on “Cop City" being built in Atlanta. Will there be a moment like the young black man in an elevator with Sarah Page to give reason to destroy the “Black Mecca”?…I don’t know. Let’s move on.
Hughes Van Ellis, died at age 102. His 109-year-old sister, Viola Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 108, were the last three known survivors of the massacre. The trio have been locked in a yearslong legal battle with the city of Tulsa and other city officials in an effort to secure reparations for the destruction committed more than a century ago. In July of 2023, an Oklahoma judge dismissed their lawsuit, under the argument that the city should not be liable for historical damages.
