1921 - The Destruction of Black Wall Street

On the morning of June 1, 1921, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma—known as \”Black Wall Street\”—lay in ashes after one of the deadliest racial massacres in American history. Over the course of 18 hours, white mobs destroyed more than 35 blocks of Black-owned businesses, homes, schools, and churches. The attack left up to 300 Black residents dead and thousands homeless. Sparked by a false accusation against a Black teenager, the violence was fueled by deep-seated resentment toward Black prosperity. Greenwood had been a model of Black economic independence, with thriving banks, theaters, law offices, and shops. The massacre\’s long suppression from national memory was a deliberate attempt to erase this legacy. Today, June 1 serves as both a day of mourning and remembrance, as well as a call for reparative justice and historical truth.