Many people know the story of THE Rosewood Massacre, but do you know the story about Black Wall Street?
During the oil boom of the 1910s, the area of northeast Oklahoma flourished -— including the Greenwood neighborhood, which came to be known as “the Negro Wall Street” (now commonly referred to as “the Black Wall Street”). The area was home to several prominent black businessmen and families, many of them multimillionaires.
Due to the success of the Greenwood district, many whites in the Tulsa area became resentful and on June 1, 1921, after a series of race riots, “Black Wall Street” was bombed and burned to the ground.
In a period spanning fewer than 12 hours, a once thriving black business district lay in ruins. Among these were 21 churches, 21 restaurants, 30 grocery stores and two movie theaters, plus a hospital, a bank, a post office, libraries, schools, law offices, a half-dozen private airplanes and even a bus system. As many as 3,000 people were killed, and the property damage totaled $1.5 million. Despite the devastation, the community mobilized its resources and rebuilt the Greenwood area within the next five years, but the town never fully recovered.
Make sure you view both video clips for more information and check out the links provided below.
PART II OF THE VIDEO
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Starting this month, Concrete Loop will post ‘Black History Spotlights’ featuring Black people & events that have made an impact on history. These features aren’t exclusive to ‘Black History Month,’ I just thought it was the perfect time to put them in rotation. Submissions are welcomed.
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I’m from this area and it’s very sad because they don’t mention this in the schools!! White folks to ashamed and still trying to hide it!
thank you cl for posting on black wall street. please consider doing a post on the trail of tears and the train porter stories.
thanks again!!!!!!!!
some of you are absoluetly right. this should be in our history books. but they are quick to shove euporean history down our throats
this is what we as blacks need to do now. is mobilize and repeat history but no you have to many splintered groups if your not a mason,elk,knights of whatever or a frat,sorie, etc your ass don’t count for shit. you don’t exist.all you high pollut’n mfs putting your asses on petstals who EVER YOU PUT FIRST IN YOUR LIFE IS YOUR GOD. AND I BE DAMN IF ANY OF YOU HUMAN BASTARDS IS FIRST IN MY EYES. NOW BLACK-LIST THAT, I WILL NOT BOW.this is the reason black unity is a myth cause this system has you hoodwinked, bamboozled got you thinking you can’t do nothing w/o your master who you worship at your meetings, churches, and secret society groups. a white man commented to me once BLACK POWER,WHITE CONTROL WHAT DO YOU THINK HE MEANT. last i heard he committed suicide. anyway what did he mean what does this mean to you? why you run around in your social groups w/your ass on your shoulders thinkin your sh** don’t stink my mom told me about your kind.and told me that type of person she said quote about your kind,” I’LL WALK UP IN YOUR ASS- AND WON’T E-V-E-N OPEN MY MOUTH. TO THIS DAY i agree.you high and mighty coloreds. all ya are tiger woods and if the shoe fits. ———–wear it.
That was truely sad.Thanks cl for posting dis up…Sum of the other black websites need 2 do da same.
I live here in tulsa, oklahoma and alot of people down here dont even know about the riot in greenwood. Thanks for shining light on this story, it just goes to show how black people can succeed.
sometimes i understand why our people say its the white man that keeps us down, i use to hate it when our people would say that but when you hear stories like this you come to realize that we are capable to doing a lot but if a person keeps on percivering but keeps getting knocked down eventually they just stop. Maybe thats the reason why we dont have chains of stores around the world, because we were on the right path in the 20s but were soo badly brusied we didnt want to go through it again. we have to show love to our acestors for going through all they had to endure, sometimes we can be so ungrateful, because we dont know. Thanks Concrete loop please keep telling stories about our history. its cool to see real stories not just the same MLK, rosa park, Malcom x, but stories that everyday people went through as well.
danala, it not sad what i said its the damn truth and does the truth hurt ? you sound young and ignorant i bet you think there ain’t much racism things aren’t that bad. i grew up in the 60,s i can tell you athing or 2 about a thing or 2. NO YOU’RE THE ONE THATS SAD. what are you a aka or a delta. i bet you’re in some fake ass social circle.
@67
Many black people that get angry when the white man is brought up get angry for the exact reason that you brought up, extreme ignorance of their own history. There is no entity in the black community more ignorant than these new age “lets all come together by any means necessary” black people.
@ 55
This is a story that needs to be shown on main stream t.v so EVERYONE is aware of it. Only people who want to see videos, bad reality t.v and such watches BET.
Didn’t know where else to put it then I though t why not here . . . . okay during black history month it’s one thing topromote flawless skin but to promote a skin lightning cream ARE YOU SERIOUS? http://www.makari.com. ” Uncover the Secret of Hollywood…..In Skin Lightening” Okay Concrete, isn’t this a little contradictory? Are we proud of ourselves regardles sof the shades of hews our beauty come in or do we say something to please the audience. A friend of mine mentioned something yesterday as we debated the future of our black people – - we are a culture more concern with words rather than actions. Funny to me how artist have been in theindustry for as long as they have butyet they are still rapping about standing on the block, but that goes to show what sells. So should I knock the artist for trying to make his (one) life better or the people who support the lifestyle that destroys us as people. Just something to think about. And if you care, why would you support something such as lightening cream. It’s one thing to promote fading blemishes but it’s totally different when it’s obvious. I guess that’s why Beyonce look sso much lighter or Rhi Rhi skin looks pale. I’m brown true, but proud of it and would be if I was darker, or lighter. love ourselves from the inside
THANK YOU CONCRETE LOOP!!
It’s about damn time! This site has such and influence on people and is the perfect channel through which one can educate youth about black history. While the racially motivated violence that took place here was sad it was so refreshing that they showed how savvy and organized blacks from this area and era were. Some modern day Americans (especially on youtube, the sanctuary for all blindly racist “aryan” men) would like to make it seem that blacks make no contribution to society except high levels of criminality and excessive burden on the welfare system. This clip showed a set of strong wealthy and ambitious blacks who were self sufficent and were so prosperous and sucessful that they even made some of their white counterparts pink with envy and rage.
Wow, I learned about this when I went with my fam to a black museum somewhere in Harlem. I wish I remembered the name, but if anyone knows what I’m talking about you should most def. go.
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when i heared about these events that happen on black wall street it mad me so mad and angry. that kind of stuff is why we dont get along with white people now
I’ve heard about Blackwall Street, only
because, I’ve been studying black
history for 25 plus years,and finding
new things everyday about our his-
tory. I can truly say, “I know why our
history cann’t be taught in school”
You cann’t go through a day without
touching,seeing,eating or using from a black inventor.