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.听
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.听
Samantha Laine Perfas: White residents formed a mob.听
Jess: And for 24 hours on May 31st and June 1st, this mob burned, looted, and killed throughout the Black neighborhood of Greenwood.听
Sam: Some Black residents fought back, but 鈥�
Sam: That event is now known as the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre 鈥撎�
Jess: 鈥� and it鈥檚 one of the worst incidents of racist violence in U.S. history.听
[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 鈥撎�
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.听
[Music]听
Jess: From 海角大神, I鈥檓 Jessica Mendoza.
Sam: And I鈥檓 Samantha Laine Perfas.听
Jess: This is 鈥淭ulsa Rising.鈥�
Sam: The story of a city wrestling with its racist past and 鈥撎齧aybe 鈥� forging a better future. We take you on the ground to Tulsa, and hear from pastors 鈥�
Jess: And politicians 鈥�
Sam: Activists 鈥�
Jess: And artists 鈥撎�
Sam: Through them, we鈥檒l come to understand the pain and the power of confronting racism head-on.听
Jess: Because we can only really move forward if we鈥檙e prepared to look back.听
[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.听
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