Wrestling with history: One city鈥檚 100-year struggle to heal
Tulsa, Oklahoma, is commemorating the centennial of one of the worst incidents of racist violence in U.S. history. In our podcast 鈥淭ulsa Rising,鈥� we ask: How does a city reckon with its racist past?
In the summer of 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a young Black man named Dick Rowland was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, a white elevator operator. As the story spread, angry white residents came together to take matters into their own hands. On May 31, these residents attacked the thriving Black neighborhood of Greenwood, looting, burning, and killing.
The event is now known as the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, and it is one of the worst incidents of racist violence in U.S. history.
But the massacre is just the beginning of the story. Over the next 100 years, Tulsa鈥檚 Black community would rebuild again and again 鈥� in the aftermath of the massacre, and in the face of everything from Jim Crow laws and segregation to police violence and systemic racism.
Now, at the massacre鈥檚 centennial, the city is starting to come to terms with its painful history. Our new podcast, 鈥淭ulsa Rising,鈥� explores that process 鈥� of ruination, resentment, and reparation 鈥� through the eyes of Tulsa residents. We ask: What does it look like to reckon with racism? And is reconciliation possible?
Episode transcript
[Music]
Jessica Mendoza: In the summer of 1921, in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a young Black man was accused of assaulting a white woman.
Scott Ellsworth: ...published this front page article about how Roland had stalked this young elevator operator and clearly tried to rape her. There鈥檚 lynch talk within a half an hour.
Samantha Laine Perfas: White residents formed a mob.
Jess: And for 24 hours on May 31st and June 1st, this mob burned, looted, and killed throughout the Black neighborhood of Greenwood.
Sam: Some Black residents fought back, but 鈥�
Scott: 鈥� when the state troops from Oklahoma City finally arrived to restore order, Greenwood鈥檚 been destroyed. It鈥檚 been burnt to the ground. Greenwood is gone.
Sam: That event is now known as the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre 鈥�
Jess: 鈥� and it鈥檚 one of the worst incidents of racist violence in U.S. history.
[Music]
Sam: But the story doesn鈥檛 end there. Over the next hundred years, the Black community in Tulsa rose up over and over and over 鈥�
Jess: 鈥� in the face of segregation and Jim Crow 鈥�
Sam: 鈥� in support of civil rights and the Black vote 鈥�
Jess: 鈥� and against police violence and systemic racism.
Sam: Now, at the centennial of the massacre, Tulsa is rising up again.
[Music]
Jess: From 海角大神, I鈥檓 Jessica Mendoza.
Sam: And I鈥檓 Samantha Laine Perfas.
Jess: This is 鈥淭ulsa Rising.鈥�
Sam: The story of a city wrestling with its racist past and 鈥� maybe 鈥� forging a better future. We take you on the ground to Tulsa, and hear from pastors 鈥�
Robert Turner: Their blood still speaks. Their blood is still crying out.
Jess: And politicians 鈥�
G.T. Bynum: 鈥楽urely we would have heard about it if there were mass graves.鈥�
Sam: Activists 鈥�
Tiffany Crutcher: They ask, 鈥榃hat would money do?鈥� It鈥檚 just not about money.
Jess: And artists 鈥�
Jerica Wortham:
For that
Greenwood ave
That Redman land
That Brilliance build by black man hand, legacies...
Sam: Through them, we鈥檒l come to understand the pain and the power of confronting racism head-on.
Jess: Because we can only really move forward if we鈥檙e prepared to look back.
Turner: We need to digest on what we did to a group of people solely because they were Black. I鈥檓 all for moving forward, working together. But let鈥檚 understand where we come from.
[Music]
Sam: Listen to 鈥淭ulsa Rising鈥� for free wherever you get your podcasts, or visit csmonitor.com/tulsarising. All episodes will be available on May 28th. Again, you can find everything at csmonitor.com/tulsarising.
[Music]
Jess: This podcast was produced by 海角大神, copyright 2021.
[END]
