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I thought I'd share this since it's not talked about in the vast majority of public schools or history channels. Thankfully my dad always made me read books strictly on black history after school back when I was a kid, otherwise I would have never known this. You always hear and read about massacres and other major events that had taken place a long time ago, but never this. It's officially called the Tulsa race "riot", but it was a complete massacre.
It was a 100% black community with more than 600 business, 21 churches, 30 restaurants, 41 grocery stores, libraries, schools, law offices, a hospital, a bank, a post office, six privately owned airplanes, a bus system, a two movie theaters all within a 36 block radius.
It was a thriving community...... Until thousands of jealous whites from all over, including WW1 vets and the members of the KKK burned it all to the ground. Airplanes carrying white assailants fired rifles and dropped firebombs on buildings, homes and fleeing families. Several groups of blacks attempted to organize a defense, but they were overwhelmed by the number of armed whites. Many blacks surrendered. Others returned fire, and ultimately died.
An American Red Cross social worker, reported that up to 300 blacks were killed. He also reported that there was a rush to bury the bodies and that no records were made of many burials.
The commercial section of Greenwood was destroyed. This included 191 businesses, a junior high school, several churches and the only hospital in the district. The Red Cross reported that 1,256 houses were burned and another 215 were looted but not burned. The Tulsa Real Estate Exchange estimated property losses amounted to $1.5 million in real estate and $750,000 in personal property ($30 million in 2016). Local citizens had filed more than $1.8 million in riot-related claims against the city by June 6, 1922
Here's an excellent video of the facts of the massacre. Quite long but very much worth it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot
It was a 100% black community with more than 600 business, 21 churches, 30 restaurants, 41 grocery stores, libraries, schools, law offices, a hospital, a bank, a post office, six privately owned airplanes, a bus system, a two movie theaters all within a 36 block radius.
It was a thriving community...... Until thousands of jealous whites from all over, including WW1 vets and the members of the KKK burned it all to the ground. Airplanes carrying white assailants fired rifles and dropped firebombs on buildings, homes and fleeing families. Several groups of blacks attempted to organize a defense, but they were overwhelmed by the number of armed whites. Many blacks surrendered. Others returned fire, and ultimately died.
An American Red Cross social worker, reported that up to 300 blacks were killed. He also reported that there was a rush to bury the bodies and that no records were made of many burials.
The commercial section of Greenwood was destroyed. This included 191 businesses, a junior high school, several churches and the only hospital in the district. The Red Cross reported that 1,256 houses were burned and another 215 were looted but not burned. The Tulsa Real Estate Exchange estimated property losses amounted to $1.5 million in real estate and $750,000 in personal property ($30 million in 2016). Local citizens had filed more than $1.8 million in riot-related claims against the city by June 6, 1922
Here's an excellent video of the facts of the massacre. Quite long but very much worth it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot
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