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{\an8}♪♪
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{\an8}♪♪
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{\an8}♪♪
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{\an8}♪♪
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{\an8}- In the 1920s there was
a strong Black community
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{\an8}here in Tulsa
called Greenwood.
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{\an8}These people were the core
of Black entrepreneurship.
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{\an8}People call it
the Black Wall Street.
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- Greenwood was like putting
Harlem, Bourbon Street,
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and Chocolate City
all in one place.
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{\an8}- But white Tulsans
talked about Greenwood
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{\an8}as Little Africa
or Nigger Land.
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- Tulsa was a powder keg
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needing only something
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to set
the community alight.
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♪♪
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- Between 100 and 300 people,
most of them Black,
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were killed.
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- Today, we call it
a mass murder.
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{\an8}They were hastily trying
to get rid of the bodies
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by dumping them
in mass graves
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around the city.
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- We have Tulsans of
an undermined number
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who were murdered.
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It should not have
taken 99 years.
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- Anybody who thinks
that this crime scene
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is not gonna speak
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doesn't have
the ears to hear.
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{\an8}The ancestors are awake
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{\an8}and the earth is shaking.
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[radio tuning]
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♪♪
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- Ah, yeah!
So rough, so tough.
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For all you people
listening to KBOB 89.9,
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located right here
in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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This is where we tell
our stories our way.
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We can be talking
about these graves,
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you know, here in
Tulsa, Oklahoma,
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excavation of these graves,
what it means to us.
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I guess I'm gonna
start with you, Kristi.
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- Uh-oh.
- Uh-oh.
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[laughter]
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Kristi.
Kristi Williams.
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- I came to Tulsa when
I was in the sixth grade.
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{\an8}So, that's been, whoo!
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{\an8}I don't know
how many years.
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My mother is from Oklahoma.
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There was a strong
Black community in Tulsa
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called Greenwood.
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These people were the core
of Black entrepreneurship
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and they would help you
get your business started.
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I mean, Greenwood
was booming.
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People call it
the Black Wall Street.
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And when you read
the editorials,
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and they would also post
events that were happening.
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And I imagine they were
having a great time!
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♪♪
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[sighs]
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What I love about Greenwood
is what it was.
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And I love what
it could be.
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But Tulsa has
a truth problem.
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Hiding the truth,
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and people
who will not challenge
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what is perceived
to be truth.
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- What's keeping Tulsa
from being
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a great shining city
on a hill
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{\an8}is dealing with the legacy
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{\an8}of the so-called
Tulsa race riot of 1921.
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White Tulsans
murdered Black folks
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and were hastily trying
to get rid of the bodies
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by dumping them in mass graves
around the city.
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Awful things were done
to get rid of bodies.
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In the late 1990s
when Senator Maxine Horner
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and my father,
State Representative Don Ross
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created the commission
to study
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the Tulsa race riot
of 1921,
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which brought
historians, consultants
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from around the world
who tried to figure out
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what happened in 1921.
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{\an8}I had many conversations
with riot survivors.
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{\an8}- Oh!
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- It was one of
the proudest moments that
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I can remember
of my father.
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When I wrote
their first articles,
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uh, "South Tulsa Tales
from the Crypt",
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I got a lot of attention.
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{\an8}But nothing was done
until 2018
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{\an8}when the story became
a "Washington Post" story
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{\an8}thanks to a reporter
who came to Tulsa
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to do a story about
gentrification of Greenwood.
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No mayor,
Republican or Democrat,
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never thought about
or even touched the story
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of the mass graves.
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- You hear about, you know,
history being erased
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in, you know,
these authoritarian regimes
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or something like that.
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{\an8}You can't imagine
that it would happen
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{\an8}right here
in your own hometown
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{\an8}in the middle
of the United States.
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And yet, it had.
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♪♪
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My name is G.T. Bynum.
I'm the mayor of Tulsa.
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I grew up here in Tulsa.
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My family has been here
since the 1870s.
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My great-great grandfather
was the second mayor of Tulsa.
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I heard about the massacre
in 2001 or 2002, maybe.
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And I was 24 years old
at this point.
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You know, every high school
student in Oklahoma
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has to go through
an Oklahoma history course.
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It never came up.
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My dad had been president of
the Tulsa Historical Society.
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It never came up.
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Hearing about that,
it was shocking to me
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because I love Tulsa.
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I couldn't believe that Tulsa
would be the kind of city
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where something like that
could happen.
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We have Tulsans of
an undetermined number
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who were murdered
in this event.
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And so, we have
a responsibility, I think,
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as a city to try
and find out
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where their remains are
and what happened to them.
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- You know, our ancestors
literally make up
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who and what we are.
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{\an8}We are the physical
manifestation of
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{\an8}our collective ancestors
and their memories.
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How can I tap into
his or her brilliance,
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their genius,
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so that I can really be
the best that I can be?
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- I think it's
at Tulsa's best interest
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to help heal the wounds,
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to go look for our dead
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and put them at
a proper rest.
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Pay for the damages
and for the lives
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that were lost in 1921.
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- The city deputized
a lot of white men
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during the massacre
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who robbed, murdered
a lot of people.
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They're accountable.
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- The story here is
a story about people.
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It's about
the human spirit.
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The massacre is a chapter
in a much larger, richer,
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more robust narrative.
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- Most people you're
going to interview,
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you need to ask
this question.
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Where are you people from?
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And if they say well,
we're from Oklahoma
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or Tulsa or Greenwood...
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well, when did
they get here?
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- Scene Grayson Take 1,
Common Marker, Mid Slate.
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{\an8}- My father,
who's Creek Indian,
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00:10:02,144 --> 00:10:04,713
{\an8}was from Oklahoma.
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My family is a mixture of
Indian, Black, and white.
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And... here I am.
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{\an8}- The story of Oklahoma
really began with
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{\an8}the five civilized tribes
in the 1830s and 1840s.
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♪♪
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- The Chickasaws,
the Creeks,
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the Cherokee, Choctaw,
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and the Seminoles,
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{\an8}called the five
civilized tribes.
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They were originally
from the South,
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from Alabama, Georgia,
parts of Florida,
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Tennessee, Mississippi
and the South Carolina area
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where these tribes
owned plantations.
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- Civilized really
is a veiled reference
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to taking on, accepting
Eurocentric ways.
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One of those ways was
a practice of chattel slavery
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to boost oneself
economically.
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- At the Cherokee museum today
are slave Bills of Sale,
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including one by then
Principal Chief John Ross.
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- I don't ever talk
about it very much
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because I think it's
a very shameful part
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{\an8}of, um, of
Cherokee history,
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{\an8}and so I've purposely
avoided involving myself
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{\an8}in that whole issue.
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♪ Java man
he made a life ♪
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♪ But the mammy
ain't his wife ♪
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♪ Choppin' cotton
don't be slow ♪
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00:12:02,598 --> 00:12:04,900
♪ Better finish out
yo' row. ♪
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- Slavery in the five
civilized tribes varied.
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What's really important
to remember is that
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these people were enslaved.
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So, by definition,
it wasn't a good experience
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because if you're a slave,
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then you don't have
your individual liberty,
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which arguably matters
more than anything else.
187
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- Enslaving Black people,
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it was part of the economy
of those tribes.
189
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When the Americans now
wanted that land
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00:12:42,671 --> 00:12:44,339
for their own plantations,
191
00:12:44,439 --> 00:12:46,708
they took the plantations
of the Indians.
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00:12:48,677 --> 00:12:52,347
This was done in
a legal way...
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00:12:54,449 --> 00:12:56,852
by passing legislation,
194
00:12:56,952 --> 00:12:58,854
The Indian Removal Act,
195
00:12:58,954 --> 00:13:01,657
the forced migration of
the five civilized tribes
196
00:13:01,723 --> 00:13:03,525
from the Southeastern
United States
197
00:13:03,625 --> 00:13:04,893
into Indian territory,
198
00:13:04,993 --> 00:13:07,796
which is what is
today Oklahoma.
199
00:13:07,863 --> 00:13:10,165
{\an8}- They said, well,
we're swapping you
200
00:13:10,232 --> 00:13:13,035
{\an8}this land for the lands
west of the Mississippi
201
00:13:13,135 --> 00:13:15,037
{\an8}in Indian territory.
202
00:13:15,137 --> 00:13:17,573
You have no choice
but to go.
203
00:13:20,342 --> 00:13:22,644
We know it as
The Trail of Tears.
204
00:13:22,711 --> 00:13:30,085
♪♪
205
00:13:30,185 --> 00:13:33,222
The slaves that the tribes
didn't sell off,
206
00:13:33,322 --> 00:13:35,591
they brought them on
The Trail of Tears.
207
00:13:39,228 --> 00:13:41,663
So, just like
an oxen or a bull
208
00:13:41,730 --> 00:13:43,532
that was pulling a wagon,
209
00:13:43,599 --> 00:13:46,869
the Black folks was
in the same situation.
210
00:13:46,935 --> 00:13:49,571
They didn't have
a choice.
211
00:13:51,206 --> 00:14:00,215
♪♪
212
00:14:00,282 --> 00:14:03,919
{\an8}- The five civilized tribes
officially aligned themselves
213
00:14:04,019 --> 00:14:06,521
{\an8}with the Confederacy
during the Civil War
214
00:14:06,588 --> 00:14:08,357
because slaves were still
needed to improve
215
00:14:08,423 --> 00:14:10,792
the economic fortunes
of these tribes.
216
00:14:12,194 --> 00:14:14,096
The Confederacy lost,
by the way.
217
00:14:14,196 --> 00:14:16,431
And so, after
the Civil War,
218
00:14:16,531 --> 00:14:19,635
the Federal government
negotiated with these tribes
219
00:14:19,735 --> 00:14:21,403
on treaties generally
referred to
220
00:14:21,470 --> 00:14:23,906
as the Treaties of 1866.
221
00:14:23,972 --> 00:14:35,651
♪♪
222
00:14:35,751 --> 00:14:38,987
- In Article II of
The Creek Treaty of 1866,
223
00:14:39,087 --> 00:14:42,124
it says that you won't
have slaves anymore.
224
00:14:42,224 --> 00:14:42,991
That's a wrap.
225
00:14:43,091 --> 00:14:45,060
It's not gonna
happen no more.
226
00:14:47,796 --> 00:14:51,500
Those slaves that you have,
they're now your Tribal members.
227
00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,069
They're now your citizens.
228
00:14:55,604 --> 00:14:57,506
Black people who had been
with the Indians,
229
00:14:57,606 --> 00:15:01,343
now 10, 15 generations,
230
00:15:01,443 --> 00:15:04,079
either enslaved
or married among them
231
00:15:04,146 --> 00:15:06,181
or their children.
232
00:15:07,683 --> 00:15:09,851
They were called
the Freedmen.
233
00:15:14,156 --> 00:15:16,091
The United States government
forced the Tribes
234
00:15:16,158 --> 00:15:19,861
to divide up this land
with the Freedmen.
235
00:15:19,962 --> 00:15:21,997
- The slaves who belonged
to the Cherokees
236
00:15:22,097 --> 00:15:23,765
could come right back
to the territory
237
00:15:23,832 --> 00:15:26,301
and settle on Indian land.
238
00:15:26,368 --> 00:15:28,136
And when allotment came,
239
00:15:28,203 --> 00:15:31,473
they gave us an equal right
with them in land drawings.
240
00:15:31,540 --> 00:15:33,709
The United States government
forced them to do this,
241
00:15:33,809 --> 00:15:35,978
I have been told.
242
00:15:36,044 --> 00:15:50,125
♪♪
243
00:15:52,327 --> 00:15:55,897
- Okay, so, on this map,
244
00:15:55,998 --> 00:15:57,833
this is the Creek Nation.
245
00:15:57,899 --> 00:16:00,002
This little yellow spot
up here
246
00:16:00,068 --> 00:16:01,136
is Township Tulsa.
247
00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,744
The green area are
the allotments of the Freedmen.
248
00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,683
Everybody got 160 acres
if you were full-blood Creek,
249
00:16:16,551 --> 00:16:18,920
if you were full Black
from Africa.
250
00:16:21,390 --> 00:16:25,327
If you were female
you got 160 acres.
251
00:16:25,394 --> 00:16:30,699
The Freedmen allotments
totaled 1,192,240 acres.
252
00:16:32,501 --> 00:16:34,269
One million one hundred--
253
00:16:34,369 --> 00:16:36,872
I really want people
to understand that.
254
00:16:36,938 --> 00:16:41,043
That's a lot of land for
a small geographical area.
255
00:16:41,109 --> 00:16:43,345
It's a lot of land
to own.
256
00:16:43,412 --> 00:16:46,181
The most important part
of the story
257
00:16:46,248 --> 00:16:48,583
of Black people here
in Oklahoma
258
00:16:48,683 --> 00:16:51,253
is the Black land ownership.
259
00:16:55,624 --> 00:16:58,427
- As a descendent of
a Creek Freedmen,
260
00:16:58,527 --> 00:17:00,862
I believe land is power,
261
00:17:00,929 --> 00:17:02,464
land is wealth,
262
00:17:02,564 --> 00:17:08,270
land is really the-the core
of Black entrepreneurship.
263
00:17:13,742 --> 00:17:16,645
- You had two types
of Blacks in Oklahoma.
264
00:17:16,745 --> 00:17:19,314
You had those Freedmen.
265
00:17:21,083 --> 00:17:23,652
Then you had state Blacks.
266
00:17:23,752 --> 00:17:25,454
State Blacks came
to Oklahoma looking
267
00:17:25,554 --> 00:17:27,089
for the promised land.
268
00:17:27,155 --> 00:17:31,426
♪♪
269
00:17:31,493 --> 00:17:33,662
- There was a movement
called Boosterism
270
00:17:33,762 --> 00:17:37,099
and this began in 1889
271
00:17:37,165 --> 00:17:39,067
using bulletins
and encouraging Black folks
272
00:17:39,134 --> 00:17:41,269
to migrate from
the deep South
273
00:17:41,336 --> 00:17:43,605
to what is now Oklahoma.
274
00:17:43,672 --> 00:17:46,808
The leader of that movement
was a fellow called E.P. McCabe.
275
00:17:46,908 --> 00:17:49,177
He recruited Black people
to come on the theory
276
00:17:49,277 --> 00:17:52,948
that it represented an escape
from the oppressive deep South,
277
00:17:53,014 --> 00:17:55,851
an opportunity
to prosper economically.
278
00:17:58,487 --> 00:18:00,255
- The time will soon come
when we will be able
279
00:18:00,322 --> 00:18:03,492
to dictate the policy of
this territory, or state.
280
00:18:03,592 --> 00:18:05,260
And when that time comes,
281
00:18:05,327 --> 00:18:08,296
we will have a Negro state
governed by Negroes.
282
00:18:08,363 --> 00:18:10,599
We do not wish
to antagonize the whites.
283
00:18:10,665 --> 00:18:12,100
They are necessary
in the development
284
00:18:12,167 --> 00:18:13,535
of a new country.
285
00:18:13,635 --> 00:18:15,437
But they owe my race homes,
286
00:18:15,504 --> 00:18:17,005
and my race owes to itself
287
00:18:17,105 --> 00:18:19,975
a governmental control
of those homes.
288
00:18:24,779 --> 00:18:27,149
- Land meant rebirth.
289
00:18:29,551 --> 00:18:33,722
It meant renewal.
Land meant survival.
290
00:18:33,822 --> 00:18:37,359
There were 40 other
Black townships around Oklahoma.
291
00:18:37,459 --> 00:18:39,794
The whole state.
292
00:18:39,861 --> 00:18:40,795
Not just Tulsa.
293
00:18:46,535 --> 00:18:49,337
- It was the promised land
for a lot of people
294
00:18:49,404 --> 00:18:51,072
coming out of slavery
295
00:18:51,173 --> 00:18:53,742
wanting to escape
lynchings
296
00:18:53,842 --> 00:18:55,844
and wanting just to raise
their families
297
00:18:55,911 --> 00:18:58,914
in a loving community.
298
00:19:06,021 --> 00:19:10,025
- Freedman had all of
this land with mineral rights
299
00:19:10,091 --> 00:19:12,928
that ultimately made them
very wealthy.
300
00:19:22,404 --> 00:19:25,340
- We put ourselves
in Oklahoma, 1906.
301
00:19:27,842 --> 00:19:30,011
A city called Tulsa.
302
00:19:30,078 --> 00:19:41,022
♪♪
303
00:19:41,089 --> 00:19:43,758
Tulsa boomed after
the discovery of oil.
304
00:19:48,230 --> 00:19:51,800
Tulsa became the oil capital
of the world.
305
00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:56,972
♪♪
306
00:19:57,072 --> 00:20:00,275
The oil drew people
really from all over,
307
00:20:00,375 --> 00:20:02,944
seeking fame and fortune.
308
00:20:04,546 --> 00:20:06,648
The population
just mushroomed.
309
00:20:06,748 --> 00:20:13,655
♪♪
310
00:20:13,755 --> 00:20:18,660
- Back then, people were
moving to the city every day,
311
00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:20,795
{\an8}whether it's
a sharecropper
312
00:20:20,895 --> 00:20:23,832
{\an8}leaving some rural
Oklahoma county,
313
00:20:23,932 --> 00:20:26,334
looking for a job
in the oilfields.
314
00:20:27,769 --> 00:20:29,337
Whether it's
a young entrepreneur
315
00:20:29,437 --> 00:20:32,440
who thinks that they can
strike the next one.
316
00:20:32,507 --> 00:20:34,242
People called it
the Magic City
317
00:20:34,309 --> 00:20:36,278
because it just
came out of nowhere.
318
00:20:36,344 --> 00:20:49,591
♪♪
319
00:20:49,658 --> 00:20:50,825
{\an8}- Back when I was growing up,
320
00:20:50,925 --> 00:20:54,362
{\an8}they said
the 1921 race riot
321
00:20:54,462 --> 00:20:56,431
{\an8}and then they changed it
to massacre.
322
00:20:56,498 --> 00:20:58,266
{\an8}And I wanted people
to know my mother
323
00:20:58,333 --> 00:21:00,268
{\an8}was a survivor of that.
324
00:21:00,335 --> 00:21:01,770
A lot of people say,
325
00:21:01,836 --> 00:21:04,139
oh, we didn't know
anything about it.
326
00:21:04,205 --> 00:21:05,373
I always knew about it
327
00:21:05,473 --> 00:21:08,710
because my mother
told me about it.
328
00:21:08,810 --> 00:21:13,815
♪♪
329
00:21:13,882 --> 00:21:16,618
- Tulsa has seen a lot of
growth in recent years.
330
00:21:16,685 --> 00:21:18,520
Some might even say it's
showing signs of becoming
331
00:21:18,620 --> 00:21:21,990
a destination city.
332
00:21:22,057 --> 00:21:25,360
- Tulsa is a beautiful
little city
333
00:21:27,195 --> 00:21:29,564
that wants to be
a big city.
334
00:21:29,664 --> 00:21:39,908
♪♪
335
00:21:40,008 --> 00:21:41,309
It's just a little
country town
336
00:21:41,376 --> 00:21:42,477
that had big skyscrapers.
337
00:21:49,984 --> 00:21:52,921
The weather is beautiful.
338
00:21:53,021 --> 00:21:55,357
The cost of living
is wonderful.
339
00:21:56,691 --> 00:21:59,361
People from various
different walks of life.
340
00:22:02,397 --> 00:22:04,599
And I strongly believe
at one time
341
00:22:04,699 --> 00:22:08,370
that we're going
to be the best city
342
00:22:08,436 --> 00:22:10,572
that this world can offer.
343
00:22:29,891 --> 00:22:32,093
Make a left
at the light.
344
00:22:33,762 --> 00:22:38,933
Here we are in the historic
Greenwood community,
345
00:22:39,934 --> 00:22:43,371
AKA the Black Wall Street
of America,
346
00:22:43,438 --> 00:22:47,275
AKA the Negro Wall Street
of America,
347
00:22:47,375 --> 00:22:50,044
AKA my home.
348
00:22:58,787 --> 00:23:01,456
Every day that I've got
money in my pocket,
349
00:23:01,556 --> 00:23:03,625
I go down on Greenwood.
350
00:23:04,893 --> 00:23:06,628
I go get me a haircut.
351
00:23:08,830 --> 00:23:10,231
They give me
the latest scoop,
352
00:23:10,298 --> 00:23:12,333
find out what's going on.
353
00:23:14,469 --> 00:23:16,671
What's up on
Greenwood now?
354
00:23:18,807 --> 00:23:21,743
Yeah, the Tee's Barbershop
is a legacy of my family.
355
00:23:21,810 --> 00:23:23,978
My father got
his hair cut here.
356
00:23:24,078 --> 00:23:27,282
My son got his first haircut
right here.
357
00:23:29,083 --> 00:23:31,586
Well, how long has
a barbershop been on Greenwood?
358
00:23:31,653 --> 00:23:35,190
- The first barbershop
that I'm-- I worked for
359
00:23:35,290 --> 00:23:37,659
was called Mim's Barbershop
360
00:23:37,759 --> 00:23:41,296
and it was in the 1100 block
of North Greenwood.
361
00:23:41,362 --> 00:23:43,665
That was in 1963.
362
00:23:43,765 --> 00:23:44,966
They talking
about Greenwood
363
00:23:45,033 --> 00:23:47,435
and all you can see now
is one block.
364
00:23:47,502 --> 00:23:49,771
But it was businesses
all the way down
365
00:23:49,838 --> 00:23:54,709
from-from Lansing back to
Martin Luther King Drive today.
366
00:23:54,809 --> 00:23:57,812
♪♪
367
00:23:57,879 --> 00:24:00,215
- 1921.
368
00:24:00,315 --> 00:24:03,718
Greenwood was much larger
than just that one block
369
00:24:03,818 --> 00:24:05,887
that you guys see today.
370
00:24:11,326 --> 00:24:13,862
Greenwood's much larger
to the south,
371
00:24:13,962 --> 00:24:15,396
to the east,
372
00:24:15,497 --> 00:24:18,333
{\an8}to the west,
and to the north.
373
00:24:20,969 --> 00:24:22,237
{\an8}But the only thing
we have left
374
00:24:22,337 --> 00:24:24,572
{\an8}is just a sliver
of its former self.
375
00:24:27,842 --> 00:24:30,078
{\an8}- Every time somebody comes back
every other 20 years,
376
00:24:30,178 --> 00:24:31,412
{\an8}there's less and less
of Greenwood.
377
00:24:31,513 --> 00:24:33,081
{\an8}People come here all the time
and say, is this it?
378
00:24:33,181 --> 00:24:34,349
{\an8}This is Greenwood?
379
00:24:34,415 --> 00:24:35,817
This is what they've
been talking about? Right?
380
00:24:37,252 --> 00:24:39,721
Everybody wants a community
381
00:24:39,821 --> 00:24:43,157
where they can
grow and prosper
382
00:24:43,224 --> 00:24:43,491
and that dollar
can turn over
383
00:24:47,161 --> 00:24:49,998
So, why wouldn't Black folks
want that for themselves?
384
00:25:03,278 --> 00:25:05,113
{\an8}- I've been ownin'
Blow Out Hair Studio
385
00:25:05,213 --> 00:25:08,249
{\an8}for 13 years now.
386
00:25:08,349 --> 00:25:10,451
Greenwood is special.
387
00:25:10,552 --> 00:25:13,054
Once you come down here,
you feel the energy.
388
00:25:15,857 --> 00:25:17,292
I would hate to leave
Greenwood.
389
00:25:17,392 --> 00:25:20,895
I will fight tooth and nails
before I leave,
390
00:25:20,962 --> 00:25:22,397
to be honest with you.
391
00:25:25,199 --> 00:25:27,268
{\an8}- Farmers Insurance
is my first business.
392
00:25:27,368 --> 00:25:29,103
{\an8}However, I have a studio,
393
00:25:29,203 --> 00:25:32,974
{\an8}Greenwood Fitness
& Recreational Studio.
394
00:25:33,074 --> 00:25:36,077
{\an8}You know, we have a debt
to our ancestors here.
395
00:25:36,144 --> 00:25:38,913
{\an8}You know, we have to bring back
what was once there.
396
00:25:38,980 --> 00:25:40,315
{\an8}[espresso machine whirring]
397
00:25:40,415 --> 00:25:43,117
{\an8}And anyone that wants to
do business here
398
00:25:43,217 --> 00:25:47,322
{\an8}should also be engaged
in that same idea,
399
00:25:47,422 --> 00:25:49,490
{\an8}that same mentality,
same thought process.
400
00:25:57,231 --> 00:26:01,569
- When I got to Tulsa
in 1984,
401
00:26:01,636 --> 00:26:04,439
I was asked to do a regular
guest editorial column
402
00:26:04,505 --> 00:26:05,573
in the Oklahoma Eagle,
403
00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,109
which is
the Black newspaper.
404
00:26:08,176 --> 00:26:11,346
One of my assignments was
to do a historical treatment
405
00:26:11,446 --> 00:26:13,514
of the Greenwood District.
406
00:26:13,615 --> 00:26:16,250
I've had this sort of
obligation of service.
407
00:26:16,317 --> 00:26:17,485
And if I'm going to live
in this community,
408
00:26:17,585 --> 00:26:20,955
I want the community
to be the best it can be.
409
00:26:21,022 --> 00:26:22,790
We can't do that
unless we engage
410
00:26:22,857 --> 00:26:25,293
in the work of
racial reconciliation.
411
00:26:26,961 --> 00:26:27,862
And we can't do that
412
00:26:27,962 --> 00:26:30,098
unless we acknowledge
our history.
413
00:26:30,164 --> 00:26:34,302
♪♪
414
00:26:34,369 --> 00:26:43,344
{\an8}♪♪
415
00:26:43,444 --> 00:26:45,813
{\an8}A Black man,
the name of O.W. Gurley
416
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:47,649
{\an8}came to Oklahoma
from Arkansas.
417
00:26:49,150 --> 00:26:50,985
{\an8}He bought land.
418
00:26:51,052 --> 00:26:54,555
{\an8}He sold land to other
African Americas;
419
00:26:54,656 --> 00:26:57,959
{\an8}established his first
business in 1906.
420
00:26:58,026 --> 00:26:59,861
Businesses
just proliferated
421
00:26:59,961 --> 00:27:04,632
and they became prosperous,
422
00:27:04,699 --> 00:27:06,367
creating and living
423
00:27:06,467 --> 00:27:10,638
in this insular
economic community
424
00:27:10,705 --> 00:27:12,206
called the
Greenwood District.
425
00:27:17,578 --> 00:27:23,718
The Greenwood District
was Black Main Street.
426
00:27:23,818 --> 00:27:27,388
Mom and pop type operations,
small businesses,
427
00:27:27,488 --> 00:27:31,259
hotels, restaurants,
grocery stores,
428
00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:32,827
theaters, nightclubs.
429
00:27:37,832 --> 00:27:41,335
- You have the offices
of African American lawyers.
430
00:27:41,402 --> 00:27:44,205
There are more than
12 physicians and surgeons
431
00:27:44,272 --> 00:27:45,907
that have their
offices in Greenwood.
432
00:27:49,277 --> 00:27:52,714
{\an8}- Greenwood had
about 10,000 people.
433
00:27:52,780 --> 00:27:54,882
{\an8}They were in search
for a way
434
00:27:54,949 --> 00:27:57,251
{\an8}to be masters
of their own fate.
435
00:27:59,554 --> 00:28:02,123
Today, most of the people
connect to Greenwood
436
00:28:02,223 --> 00:28:04,926
and think
Black Wall Street
437
00:28:05,026 --> 00:28:07,628
and, yes,
that existed here.
438
00:28:07,729 --> 00:28:09,797
You did have people
that were pioneers
439
00:28:09,897 --> 00:28:15,803
and big business tycoons
living in sprawling mansions.
440
00:28:15,903 --> 00:28:28,883
♪♪
441
00:28:28,950 --> 00:28:32,086
And even most people
who were domestic workers
442
00:28:32,153 --> 00:28:34,555
or owning small shops,
443
00:28:34,622 --> 00:28:37,158
living day to day,
444
00:28:37,258 --> 00:28:39,293
everyone has an opportunity
and their skin color
445
00:28:39,393 --> 00:28:42,463
doesn't limit
their capacity here.
446
00:28:42,563 --> 00:28:45,266
That's what makes
Greenwood really special,
447
00:28:45,333 --> 00:28:47,168
that you have
this safe haven,
448
00:28:47,268 --> 00:28:49,003
that oasis
that existed here.
449
00:28:51,606 --> 00:28:53,474
{\an8}- This is a special edition
of the events
450
00:28:53,574 --> 00:28:55,076
{\an8}of the Tulsa Disaster.
451
00:28:55,143 --> 00:28:58,179
{\an8}Mary Jones Parrish
is very important
452
00:28:58,279 --> 00:29:01,115
{\an8}because she was hired
within a week or two
453
00:29:01,182 --> 00:29:05,686
{\an8}of the massacre to collect
stories of people--
454
00:29:05,787 --> 00:29:07,755
{\an8}of survivors,
including herself.
455
00:29:07,822 --> 00:29:17,031
♪♪
456
00:29:17,131 --> 00:29:19,200
{\an8}- On leavin'
the Frisco Station,
457
00:29:19,300 --> 00:29:21,135
{\an8}goin' north
to Archer Street,
458
00:29:21,202 --> 00:29:25,339
{\an8}one could see nothin'
but Negro business places.
459
00:29:25,439 --> 00:29:28,476
{\an8}Goin' east on Archer
for two or more blocks,
460
00:29:28,543 --> 00:29:32,146
{\an8}there you would behold
Greenwood Avenue,
461
00:29:32,213 --> 00:29:34,015
{\an8}the Negroes Wall Street.
462
00:29:35,783 --> 00:29:38,986
- Mary Parrish
was a remarkable woman.
463
00:29:39,053 --> 00:29:41,055
Originally from
Mississippi,
464
00:29:41,155 --> 00:29:44,058
she had set up
a secretarial school
465
00:29:44,158 --> 00:29:46,961
right on Greenwood Avenue
to teach young women
466
00:29:47,028 --> 00:29:48,663
all of these
different skills
467
00:29:48,729 --> 00:29:51,365
so they could get work
as secretaries
468
00:29:51,465 --> 00:29:55,169
to some of Greenwood's
Black doctors and lawyers.
469
00:29:55,236 --> 00:29:59,340
- This section of Tulsa
was a city within a city.
470
00:29:59,407 --> 00:30:02,176
Every face seemed to wear
a happy smile.
471
00:30:02,243 --> 00:30:11,886
♪♪
472
00:30:11,986 --> 00:30:16,891
{\an8}- We're sitting in
the Mackey house.
473
00:30:16,991 --> 00:30:19,093
{\an8}That's Lucy.
474
00:30:19,193 --> 00:30:22,196
{\an8}The Mackeys
are really emblematic
475
00:30:22,263 --> 00:30:24,432
{\an8}of the kind of
middle-class Black person
476
00:30:24,532 --> 00:30:26,601
{\an8}who lived in
the Greenwood community
477
00:30:26,701 --> 00:30:28,069
{\an8}during its peak.
478
00:30:29,537 --> 00:30:32,840
{\an8}But I think if we only
fixate on the things
479
00:30:32,907 --> 00:30:35,743
{\an8}that are glamorous
and more flattering
480
00:30:35,843 --> 00:30:37,345
{\an8}and we forget that
the Greenwood District
481
00:30:37,411 --> 00:30:40,014
{\an8}is a part of the city
called Tulsa.
482
00:30:44,418 --> 00:30:47,188
You have a Black
segregated community
483
00:30:47,255 --> 00:30:49,624
that's not getting its
fair share of tax dollars
484
00:30:49,724 --> 00:30:52,226
for infrastructure
like roads,
485
00:30:52,293 --> 00:30:54,428
like sewer systems,
and things like that.
486
00:30:59,734 --> 00:31:14,749
♪♪
487
00:31:21,422 --> 00:31:25,993
- There was so much money
in Tulsa these days,
488
00:31:26,093 --> 00:31:27,628
but here's the reality.
489
00:31:27,728 --> 00:31:29,797
Money plays
a complicated role
490
00:31:29,897 --> 00:31:33,134
in the intermingling
between the races.
491
00:31:33,234 --> 00:31:36,003
- Affluence, wealth,
prosperity
492
00:31:36,103 --> 00:31:39,307
created this tie-in
between Black Tulsans,
493
00:31:39,407 --> 00:31:41,509
white Tulsans,
494
00:31:41,609 --> 00:31:43,678
but it's all about
perspective.
495
00:31:43,778 --> 00:31:45,913
White Tulsans
talked about Greenwood
496
00:31:45,980 --> 00:31:48,449
as Little Africa
or Negro Land.
497
00:32:01,128 --> 00:32:04,632
- White Tulsans could control
what justice looks like...
498
00:32:06,968 --> 00:32:10,137
could control the narrative,
499
00:32:10,204 --> 00:32:13,207
could control
whatever they want.
500
00:32:13,307 --> 00:32:19,313
{\an8}[children playing]
501
00:32:19,380 --> 00:32:25,019
- I would say that I had
a very neutral attitude
502
00:32:25,119 --> 00:32:26,721
about Blacks.
503
00:32:26,821 --> 00:32:32,326
We had, uh, Black maids
work for our household,
504
00:32:32,393 --> 00:32:36,030
but I knew that there was
separation of seating--
505
00:32:36,130 --> 00:32:39,567
restaurants, motels.
506
00:32:39,667 --> 00:32:51,912
{\an8}♪♪
507
00:32:52,013 --> 00:32:56,017
{\an8}- Through the years,
I met all sorts of people,
508
00:32:56,083 --> 00:32:59,086
{\an8}including white people
whose family was in Tulsa
509
00:32:59,186 --> 00:33:02,089
{\an8}during the people
of the massacre.
510
00:33:02,189 --> 00:33:03,824
{\an8}You were telling me
that you were born,
511
00:33:03,891 --> 00:33:06,093
{\an8}uh, in 1915.
- Uh-huh.
512
00:33:06,193 --> 00:33:07,928
{\an8}Down on 9th and Denver
is where my parents
513
00:33:08,029 --> 00:33:10,831
{\an8}bought a little house down there
when they got married.
514
00:33:10,898 --> 00:33:12,833
- Did you, as a child,
ever have occasion
515
00:33:12,900 --> 00:33:15,770
to visit the African American
community in Tulsa?
516
00:33:15,870 --> 00:33:19,173
- I-I think that
I would have been, uh,
517
00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:23,210
probably just going
to and from the homes
518
00:33:23,277 --> 00:33:24,945
where our maids lived.
519
00:33:25,046 --> 00:33:28,516
- My mother always
had the colored help.
520
00:33:28,582 --> 00:33:32,920
She just- she got along well
with people and--
521
00:33:33,020 --> 00:33:34,288
- When you say help,
you mean domestic,
522
00:33:34,388 --> 00:33:35,122
as domestic help?
523
00:33:35,222 --> 00:33:36,791
- Yes, domestic help.
Um-hmm.
524
00:33:36,891 --> 00:33:39,894
- My challenge, my charge
really is to help people
525
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:42,897
come to grips
with their past,
526
00:33:42,963 --> 00:33:45,566
which is not to say that
every person in America's evil
527
00:33:45,633 --> 00:33:46,934
or every
white person is evil.
528
00:33:47,034 --> 00:33:49,737
It's to acknowledge
a series of systems
529
00:33:49,804 --> 00:33:51,939
that exist here
that advantage some people
530
00:33:52,039 --> 00:33:53,207
and disadvantage
other people.
531
00:33:54,475 --> 00:33:56,143
{\an8}- We were taught
by innuendo
532
00:33:56,243 --> 00:33:59,547
{\an8}to dislike
or to actually hate.
533
00:33:59,613 --> 00:34:01,382
{\an8}I think the thing
that bothered me the most
534
00:34:01,449 --> 00:34:03,250
{\an8}was not being able
to ask questions
535
00:34:03,317 --> 00:34:06,053
{\an8}and have a discussion
or hear about it
536
00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:09,390
{\an8}as just a kid growing up,
a white kid.
537
00:34:13,994 --> 00:34:15,796
- The only reason that
Black Wall Street existed
538
00:34:15,896 --> 00:34:18,399
was because of necessity.
539
00:34:20,668 --> 00:34:22,136
These people were not able
to participate
540
00:34:22,236 --> 00:34:25,906
in the regular economy run
by the dominant culture
541
00:34:25,973 --> 00:34:27,741
because of segregation.
542
00:34:31,679 --> 00:34:32,947
- The vast majority
of people
543
00:34:33,013 --> 00:34:35,115
who lived in Greenwood
were not wealthy.
544
00:34:35,182 --> 00:34:41,455
♪♪
545
00:34:41,522 --> 00:34:44,425
But they had regular jobs
in the white community
546
00:34:44,492 --> 00:34:45,926
and they had
a regular paycheck
547
00:34:45,993 --> 00:34:49,530
in the white community.
548
00:34:49,630 --> 00:34:52,266
You've got a lot of
well-to-do white Tulsans
549
00:34:52,333 --> 00:34:56,036
who are going to hire
servants, cooks,
550
00:34:56,137 --> 00:34:57,638
domestic workers.
551
00:35:00,841 --> 00:35:03,777
They would collect their
paycheck at the end of the week
552
00:35:03,844 --> 00:35:05,679
and they would spend it
back in Greenwood.
553
00:35:08,983 --> 00:35:11,285
You know, in Tulsa,
like in other southern cities,
554
00:35:11,352 --> 00:35:14,288
African Americans
can't go into a department store
555
00:35:14,355 --> 00:35:15,556
and try on clothes.
556
00:35:21,629 --> 00:35:25,299
But they can shop
in their own neighborhoods.
557
00:35:25,366 --> 00:35:29,370
So, what happens is
the merchants in Greenwood
558
00:35:29,470 --> 00:35:32,006
had this captive population
559
00:35:32,072 --> 00:35:35,376
and the money just flows
and flows and flows.
560
00:35:39,513 --> 00:35:42,082
- And it was successful
because they were supported
561
00:35:42,183 --> 00:35:44,318
by people
who looked like them,
562
00:35:44,385 --> 00:35:46,654
would purchase from them,
do business with them.
563
00:35:52,259 --> 00:35:55,696
- So, there's people that
are living all different lives
564
00:35:55,763 --> 00:35:57,498
and different
social standings
565
00:35:57,565 --> 00:36:00,367
but everyone here
is making a living
566
00:36:00,434 --> 00:36:05,773
whatever way they-
they decide to.
567
00:36:05,873 --> 00:36:08,709
And they're not feeling
the pressures
568
00:36:08,776 --> 00:36:10,744
and the violence
from the outside world.
569
00:36:18,018 --> 00:36:18,953
{\an8}- I did not grow up here,
570
00:36:22,223 --> 00:36:25,593
{\an8}and I'd recognized
the importance that it had,
571
00:36:25,693 --> 00:36:26,794
{\an8}not just for
this community,
572
00:36:26,894 --> 00:36:30,397
{\an8}but for the country
and also the world.
573
00:36:30,464 --> 00:36:36,136
{\an8}And I wish that Greenwood
would be a wonderful community
574
00:36:36,237 --> 00:36:39,907
{\an8}that would radiate
the likeness of the Lord.
575
00:36:47,748 --> 00:36:50,050
- 1920 Greenwood
was booming.
576
00:36:50,117 --> 00:36:59,560
♪♪
577
00:36:59,627 --> 00:37:01,395
It was a strong community.
578
00:37:03,264 --> 00:37:06,500
{\an8}- A.C. Jackson was
a prominent Black surgeon.
579
00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:08,669
{\an8}The Mayo Clinic said
that Dr. A.C. Jackson
580
00:37:08,769 --> 00:37:12,239
{\an8}was the most able
Negro surgeon in America.
581
00:37:12,306 --> 00:37:15,142
{\an8}Simon Berry
was a businessman.
582
00:37:15,242 --> 00:37:16,977
{\an8}His first business
was a jitney service.
583
00:37:18,479 --> 00:37:20,114
{\an8}A.J. Smitherman
was the editor and publisher
584
00:37:20,180 --> 00:37:21,348
{\an8}of the Tulsa Star.
585
00:37:21,448 --> 00:37:23,851
{\an8}His paper included
editorials and articles
586
00:37:23,951 --> 00:37:26,854
{\an8}really talking about
social justice.
587
00:37:26,954 --> 00:37:28,355
{\an8}- When you think about
Stradford,
588
00:37:28,455 --> 00:37:32,259
{\an8}you think about what elegance
and grace looks like.
589
00:37:32,326 --> 00:37:34,295
{\an8}- By the beginning
of 1917,
590
00:37:34,361 --> 00:37:36,530
{\an8}I had amassed
quite a fortune.
591
00:37:36,630 --> 00:37:38,465
{\an8}I owned fifteen
rental houses,
592
00:37:38,532 --> 00:37:41,035
{\an8}a sixteen room
brick apartment building.
593
00:37:41,135 --> 00:37:44,538
{\an8}The rental value
was $350 a month.
594
00:37:44,638 --> 00:37:47,274
{\an8}The income from other sources
were triple.
595
00:37:47,341 --> 00:37:48,942
I had a splendid
bank account
596
00:37:49,009 --> 00:37:51,879
and was living on
the sunny side of the street.
597
00:37:51,979 --> 00:37:55,015
I decided to realize
my fondest hope,
598
00:37:55,115 --> 00:37:58,218
and that was to
erect a large hotel in Tulsa
599
00:37:58,319 --> 00:38:00,154
exclusively for my people.
600
00:38:04,792 --> 00:38:07,828
- J.B. Stradford built
the Stradford Hotel.
601
00:38:07,895 --> 00:38:11,899
- It's 54 rooms
and crystal chandeliers.
602
00:38:11,999 --> 00:38:12,666
- It was acknowledged
603
00:38:15,336 --> 00:38:17,638
in the United States
of America.
604
00:38:17,705 --> 00:38:19,573
It was the crown jewel
of Greenwood.
605
00:38:21,342 --> 00:38:22,743
{\an8}- Loulah and John Williams,
606
00:38:22,843 --> 00:38:25,913
{\an8}they were really active
in the community.
607
00:38:26,013 --> 00:38:27,481
{\an8}Here they had
a rooming house
608
00:38:27,548 --> 00:38:29,249
{\an8}and a garage
and a confectionary.
609
00:38:31,485 --> 00:38:35,556
Williams Dreamland Theatre
was a grand structure,
610
00:38:35,656 --> 00:38:37,758
really one of the jewels
in the Greenwood community
611
00:38:37,858 --> 00:38:38,992
at the time.
612
00:38:40,694 --> 00:38:45,065
- Imagine putting Harlem,
Bourbon Street,
613
00:38:45,165 --> 00:38:46,900
and Chocolate City
all in one place.
614
00:38:50,537 --> 00:38:52,506
A train stopping
on a Friday night
615
00:38:52,573 --> 00:38:54,441
coming to Greenwood
616
00:38:54,541 --> 00:38:57,244
with excess of 500 people
617
00:38:57,344 --> 00:38:58,946
to listen to
all the greats.
618
00:38:59,046 --> 00:39:03,283
♪♪
619
00:39:03,384 --> 00:39:05,753
- There are speakeasys,
there are pool halls,
620
00:39:05,853 --> 00:39:09,356
there's a lot of action
going on.
621
00:39:09,423 --> 00:39:11,792
In Greenwood you had
hell on one side
622
00:39:11,892 --> 00:39:13,293
and the holy ghost
on the other.
623
00:39:17,131 --> 00:39:20,634
- The church life in those
days were very strong
624
00:39:20,734 --> 00:39:24,972
and the church
was a source,
625
00:39:25,072 --> 00:39:27,641
not just for God,
but also for community.
626
00:39:27,741 --> 00:39:30,110
[piano playing blues music]
627
00:39:30,210 --> 00:39:36,750
♪♪
628
00:39:36,817 --> 00:39:37,751
- Well-to-do families,
629
00:39:37,818 --> 00:39:40,821
Black families in Tulsa
would have pianos.
630
00:39:40,921 --> 00:39:44,591
They would have their daughters
take piano lessons.
631
00:39:44,658 --> 00:39:48,962
You might hear
a blues song,
632
00:39:49,062 --> 00:39:51,131
but you might also hear
a Mozart sonata.
633
00:39:51,231 --> 00:39:56,603
[piano playing classical music]
634
00:39:56,670 --> 00:39:59,006
It's part of
the blood of the city.
635
00:39:59,106 --> 00:40:00,974
This is a part of
the heartbeat of the town.
636
00:40:04,278 --> 00:40:05,345
- And the sky was the limit.
637
00:40:05,446 --> 00:40:06,580
There was nothing
that you could not do.
638
00:40:14,822 --> 00:40:16,757
- When thinking about Tulsa
639
00:40:16,824 --> 00:40:19,460
in the early part
of the 20th century,
640
00:40:19,526 --> 00:40:20,427
it's important to remember
641
00:40:20,494 --> 00:40:23,497
where the Greenwood
community is.
642
00:40:23,597 --> 00:40:26,366
It abuts downtown,
separated by the Frisco tracks.
643
00:40:30,671 --> 00:40:36,210
If you live in a society
in which white supremacy
644
00:40:36,310 --> 00:40:38,512
is the prevailing
paradigm,
645
00:40:38,612 --> 00:40:41,949
but you live in a community
in which you can look across
646
00:40:42,015 --> 00:40:46,186
the dividing line,
the Frisco tracks,
647
00:40:46,286 --> 00:40:48,622
and see Black folks
driving nice cars
648
00:40:48,689 --> 00:40:51,792
and wearing fur coats
and living in nice homes,
649
00:40:51,859 --> 00:40:54,561
then it causes
cognitive dissonance,
650
00:40:54,661 --> 00:40:57,698
garden variety jealousy.
651
00:40:57,798 --> 00:41:00,400
{\an8}That land was desired
by corporate interest
652
00:41:00,501 --> 00:41:03,570
{\an8}in Tulsa.
We know that.
653
00:41:03,670 --> 00:41:06,173
The idea was to remove
the Black folks from the land,
654
00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:08,675
move them farther north,
655
00:41:08,742 --> 00:41:10,244
and use the land
for what was considered
656
00:41:10,344 --> 00:41:12,813
to be higher
and better purposes.
657
00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:16,416
{\an8}- Tulsa appears now to be
in danger of losing its prestige
658
00:41:16,517 --> 00:41:18,919
{\an8}as the whitest town
in Oklahoma.
659
00:41:19,019 --> 00:41:20,921
{\an8}Does Tulsa wish
a double invasion
660
00:41:21,021 --> 00:41:23,156
{\an8}of criminal
Negro preachers,
661
00:41:23,223 --> 00:41:24,858
{\an8}Negro shysters,
662
00:41:24,925 --> 00:41:27,895
{\an8}crap shooters, gamblers,
bootlegs, prostitutes,
663
00:41:27,995 --> 00:41:29,997
{\an8}and smart alecks
in general?
664
00:41:30,063 --> 00:41:43,544
♪♪
665
00:41:43,610 --> 00:41:45,245
- We took Oklahoma history
in the ninth grade.
666
00:41:45,345 --> 00:41:47,180
And in our--
in our textbook,
667
00:41:47,247 --> 00:41:49,049
there was probably a page,
or a page and a half
668
00:41:49,116 --> 00:41:52,085
about the race massacre.
669
00:41:52,185 --> 00:41:53,787
We did not cover that
in class.
670
00:41:53,887 --> 00:41:57,558
I read it because I was
really interested in history
671
00:41:57,624 --> 00:42:00,260
and it was
a real revelation.
672
00:42:01,762 --> 00:42:07,200
It brought home just
how pervasive racism was
673
00:42:07,267 --> 00:42:11,238
in the United States
and in the social system.
674
00:42:11,305 --> 00:42:13,040
- Historians often
refer to the early part
675
00:42:13,106 --> 00:42:14,308
of the 20th century
in America
676
00:42:14,408 --> 00:42:16,910
as the low point of
race relations in America.
677
00:42:18,245 --> 00:42:20,647
{\an8}- African Americans
are under attack
678
00:42:20,747 --> 00:42:24,418
{\an8}in all different quarters
in all parts of the Union.
679
00:42:24,484 --> 00:42:27,487
{\an8}This is an era where
the nature of lynchings
680
00:42:27,588 --> 00:42:29,323
{\an8}are getting more
and more barbaric.
681
00:42:33,594 --> 00:42:35,295
- Lynching is a form of
domestic terrorism
682
00:42:35,395 --> 00:42:39,933
that targeted primarily
African Americans.
683
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:45,339
In events to which people
brought their children,
684
00:42:45,439 --> 00:42:48,008
lynching was widespread
in the United States.
685
00:42:51,178 --> 00:42:53,313
That there would be such
a film like "Birth of a Nation"
686
00:42:53,413 --> 00:42:57,584
produced at the time...
687
00:42:57,651 --> 00:42:59,019
neither shocks
nor surprises me.
688
00:43:00,187 --> 00:43:08,996
{\an8}♪♪
689
00:43:09,096 --> 00:43:11,131
- "Birth of a Nation",
690
00:43:11,198 --> 00:43:14,301
a landmark film
that came out in 1915.
691
00:43:18,305 --> 00:43:19,873
Black people were-
were portrayed
692
00:43:19,973 --> 00:43:21,642
in a very
demeaning manner.
693
00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:29,483
...the Ku Klux Klan
as heroes.
694
00:43:29,549 --> 00:43:33,387
♪♪
695
00:43:33,487 --> 00:43:36,223
- "The Birth of a Nation"
attests to the purity
696
00:43:36,323 --> 00:43:40,527
and chastity of white women
697
00:43:40,627 --> 00:43:43,296
and Black men mixing
with white women
698
00:43:43,363 --> 00:43:48,168
is a distinct taboo,
699
00:43:48,235 --> 00:43:50,370
which often did result
700
00:43:50,470 --> 00:43:52,005
in the death
of the Black men.
701
00:43:56,843 --> 00:43:58,645
- The film became,
uh, you know,
702
00:43:58,712 --> 00:44:00,414
pretty much of
a national phenomenon.
703
00:44:04,851 --> 00:44:08,255
President Woodrow Wilson
endorsed it.
704
00:44:08,355 --> 00:44:11,024
It showed all over
the country.
705
00:44:11,091 --> 00:44:13,894
It showed in Tulsa
in the convention hall.
706
00:44:18,231 --> 00:44:21,234
It certainly validated
these ideas.
707
00:44:25,172 --> 00:44:26,773
- How do you survive
if you're a Black person
708
00:44:26,873 --> 00:44:29,443
in America
during this era?
709
00:44:29,543 --> 00:44:33,246
And part of the answer came
through African American
710
00:44:33,346 --> 00:44:37,617
veterans of World War I
who'd fought in combat units
711
00:44:37,718 --> 00:44:40,020
in France
where they were treated
712
00:44:40,087 --> 00:44:42,389
with respect
and with honor.
713
00:44:42,456 --> 00:44:43,857
And they came back
to the United States
714
00:44:43,924 --> 00:44:47,060
and they found none.
715
00:44:47,127 --> 00:44:50,197
- We have Black veterans
in Greenwood.
716
00:44:50,263 --> 00:44:51,298
They fought for
their country,
717
00:44:51,398 --> 00:44:52,766
they fought for
their freedom.
718
00:44:52,866 --> 00:44:56,069
So, when they come home,
they expect to be respected.
719
00:44:59,272 --> 00:45:03,910
But what they come home to
is, again, more Jim Crow laws,
720
00:45:03,977 --> 00:45:05,912
more prejudice,
and more restrictions
721
00:45:05,979 --> 00:45:08,048
on their freedom
that they fought for.
722
00:45:11,551 --> 00:45:12,486
- After World War I,
723
00:45:16,490 --> 00:45:20,727
in uniform being lynched
by white mobs.
724
00:45:20,794 --> 00:45:25,432
It's pretty stunning
and remarkable.
725
00:45:25,499 --> 00:45:29,669
The idea is we're going to
show you what your place is.
726
00:45:29,770 --> 00:45:33,940
We don't care whether
you've fought for the country.
727
00:45:34,007 --> 00:45:36,810
When you're here,
you play by our rules.
728
00:45:39,012 --> 00:45:42,482
- The Ku Klux Klan
is kind of the bogeyman.
729
00:45:42,582 --> 00:45:44,484
I think, especially
as white people,
730
00:45:44,584 --> 00:45:46,953
we load up all the bad stuff
and we attribute it
731
00:45:47,020 --> 00:45:49,523
to this vague group
over here
732
00:45:49,623 --> 00:45:52,993
that we call
the Ku Klux Klan.
733
00:45:53,093 --> 00:45:56,930
Even the people who
considered themselves friends
734
00:45:56,997 --> 00:45:58,198
of the Black people
735
00:45:58,298 --> 00:46:02,469
didn't really consider them
equals in a social way.
736
00:46:02,536 --> 00:46:04,204
I mean, they-
they didn't want them--
737
00:46:04,304 --> 00:46:06,339
they didn't want them killed,
they didn't want them cheated,
738
00:46:06,439 --> 00:46:07,707
they didn't want
their houses burned down
739
00:46:07,808 --> 00:46:09,109
but they didn't want
to sit next to 'em
740
00:46:09,176 --> 00:46:10,811
in the restaurant either.
741
00:46:12,946 --> 00:46:13,780
In those times,
742
00:46:13,847 --> 00:46:15,816
Tulsa was like
a lot of other places.
743
00:46:15,882 --> 00:46:18,652
You had African Americans
who were just sort of tired
744
00:46:18,718 --> 00:46:21,621
of being sent
to the back of the bus,
745
00:46:21,688 --> 00:46:23,456
literally and figuratively.
746
00:46:23,523 --> 00:46:25,859
They were ready
to stand up for their--
747
00:46:25,959 --> 00:46:28,562
for their right.
748
00:46:28,662 --> 00:46:31,531
There had to have been
tension building up.
749
00:46:33,633 --> 00:46:36,903
- The Tulsa Tribune
published a series
750
00:46:37,003 --> 00:46:39,372
of inflammatory articles...
751
00:46:44,077 --> 00:46:45,912
...that really fomented
752
00:46:46,012 --> 00:46:47,347
hostility in the
white community
753
00:46:47,414 --> 00:46:48,915
against the Black community.
754
00:46:49,015 --> 00:46:51,384
♪♪
755
00:46:51,484 --> 00:46:54,354
Tulsa was a powder keg,
756
00:46:54,421 --> 00:46:58,258
a tinderbox
needing only something
757
00:46:58,358 --> 00:46:59,759
to set the community
alight.
758
00:47:10,337 --> 00:47:14,908
- Many years ago,
I was at a cemetery.
759
00:47:15,008 --> 00:47:17,577
I was taking pictures
of the tombstones.
760
00:47:22,182 --> 00:47:24,551
And I heard
this strange noise.
761
00:47:24,618 --> 00:47:26,553
Tsshh.
762
00:47:26,620 --> 00:47:29,222
I looked around;
it was nothing there.
763
00:47:29,289 --> 00:47:32,292
Then I heard a "tsshh"
to the right.
764
00:47:32,392 --> 00:47:35,128
Then I heard that same sound
surrounding me.
765
00:47:35,228 --> 00:47:36,396
Tsshh.
766
00:47:36,463 --> 00:47:37,797
I ran out of there.
767
00:47:41,935 --> 00:47:44,070
That's when I saw
a flock of redbirds
768
00:47:44,137 --> 00:47:45,438
come out of the trees.
769
00:47:48,742 --> 00:47:49,943
I thought that was
unusual.
770
00:47:50,043 --> 00:47:51,645
Normally you see
one or two redbirds,
771
00:47:51,745 --> 00:47:53,480
but I never saw
a flock of them
772
00:47:53,580 --> 00:47:57,150
flying together like that.
773
00:47:57,250 --> 00:48:00,320
And I told a good friend
of mine and she said,
774
00:48:00,420 --> 00:48:02,656
you saw redbirds
in a cemetery?
775
00:48:05,592 --> 00:48:07,661
Oh, baby, that's nothin'
but an omen, she said.
776
00:48:10,096 --> 00:48:13,099
That was the spirit
of the dead telling you
777
00:48:13,166 --> 00:48:18,672
to go tell somebody
that they are not at peace.
778
00:48:23,610 --> 00:48:26,413
- The ancestors
are speaking to us.
779
00:48:26,479 --> 00:48:31,318
The ancestors
are throwing clues at us.
780
00:48:31,418 --> 00:48:34,454
We have a responsibility
and an obligation
781
00:48:34,521 --> 00:48:36,156
to find the truth.
782
00:48:37,524 --> 00:48:39,125
- The mass graves
investigation
783
00:48:39,192 --> 00:48:42,329
started out in 1997,
actually,
784
00:48:42,429 --> 00:48:44,864
with Don Ross,
Kavin Ross' father.
785
00:48:46,366 --> 00:48:48,768
- When he was first told
about the massacre,
786
00:48:48,835 --> 00:48:50,804
my father, he thought
it was just a lie,
787
00:48:50,870 --> 00:48:52,939
that it didn't happen.
788
00:48:53,006 --> 00:48:56,543
It was not
in the history books.
789
00:48:56,643 --> 00:48:58,678
But then in high school,
790
00:48:58,778 --> 00:49:01,147
he heard first-hand
from survivors
791
00:49:01,214 --> 00:49:03,049
who were schoolteachers
at the time
792
00:49:03,149 --> 00:49:04,884
and that was something
that stuck with him
793
00:49:04,985 --> 00:49:06,453
until he got
to the point
794
00:49:06,519 --> 00:49:07,988
where he could do
something about it.
795
00:49:08,054 --> 00:49:10,190
- White political leaders
tried to bury the truth
796
00:49:10,290 --> 00:49:12,625
along with all those
Black victims of the riot.
797
00:49:12,692 --> 00:49:15,328
And they pretty much
succeeded for 76 years
798
00:49:15,395 --> 00:49:17,197
until 1997,
799
00:49:17,297 --> 00:49:19,733
when the state legislature
appointed a commission
800
00:49:19,833 --> 00:49:22,902
of 11 people to finally
uncover the truth
801
00:49:23,003 --> 00:49:25,872
about the horrific
riot of 1921.
802
00:49:25,972 --> 00:49:29,743
- Don Ross went to the governor
and the legislature and said,
803
00:49:29,843 --> 00:49:31,745
we've never had
an official study
804
00:49:31,845 --> 00:49:33,346
of this
little-known event.
805
00:49:33,413 --> 00:49:37,717
- That was inspired by
the Oklahoma City bombing.
806
00:49:37,817 --> 00:49:41,054
Uh, when they said it was
the largest urban disaster
807
00:49:41,154 --> 00:49:43,523
in America, wrong.
808
00:49:43,590 --> 00:49:46,659
Uh, more people were killed
than any such disaster,
809
00:49:46,726 --> 00:49:48,194
wrong.
810
00:49:48,261 --> 00:49:51,931
- I was asked to be the
historian for the commission.
811
00:49:52,032 --> 00:49:54,868
During that period,
I was thinking
812
00:49:54,934 --> 00:49:56,603
maybe we could use this
to figure out
813
00:49:56,703 --> 00:49:59,506
how many people died
and where they were buried.
814
00:50:01,041 --> 00:50:03,109
{\an8}- I'm ready.
- Kavin, you good?
815
00:50:03,209 --> 00:50:05,111
{\an8}- Go ahead.
- Hi, I'm Eddie Faye Gates,
816
00:50:05,211 --> 00:50:07,113
{\an8}chair of the
Survivors Committee
817
00:50:07,213 --> 00:50:09,749
{\an8}of the Oklahoma Legislative
Commission to study
818
00:50:09,849 --> 00:50:12,552
{\an8}the Tulsa Race Riot
of 1921.
819
00:50:12,619 --> 00:50:15,922
- I was a videographer for
the race riot commission report.
820
00:50:16,890 --> 00:50:19,793
I was on it to accompany
Eddie Faye Gates,
821
00:50:19,893 --> 00:50:21,461
who was the commissioner
at the time.
822
00:50:21,561 --> 00:50:24,130
Her job was to record
the testimonies
823
00:50:24,230 --> 00:50:26,066
of the riot survivors.
824
00:50:26,132 --> 00:50:30,103
♪♪
825
00:50:30,203 --> 00:50:34,574
- We have located fifty-one
actual living riot survivors,
826
00:50:34,641 --> 00:50:37,377
ages 78 to 104.
827
00:50:37,444 --> 00:50:41,147
No research takes the place
of eyewitness testimony,
828
00:50:41,247 --> 00:50:44,117
and that is why this day
is so significant.
829
00:50:44,217 --> 00:50:46,586
{\an8}Mrs. Simms.
830
00:50:46,653 --> 00:50:48,822
{\an8}Go on and tell it.
831
00:50:48,922 --> 00:50:51,591
{\an8}- You will never
forget that riot.
832
00:50:51,658 --> 00:50:55,428
That's something that will be
always in your remembrance.
833
00:50:55,495 --> 00:50:58,565
- This has been the age-old
story here in Tulsa.
834
00:50:58,631 --> 00:51:00,100
I never knew what happened
to my great uncle,
835
00:51:00,166 --> 00:51:01,835
never saw
my great aunt again.
836
00:51:01,935 --> 00:51:03,570
You hear those
stories over the ages.
837
00:51:05,138 --> 00:51:06,506
Folks were coming in
with oral history,
838
00:51:06,606 --> 00:51:08,775
where bodies could
be buried.
839
00:51:08,842 --> 00:51:11,911
- We interviewed over
three hundred Tulsans
840
00:51:11,978 --> 00:51:16,082
to identify what we thought
were three very likely spots
841
00:51:16,149 --> 00:51:20,620
in town where massacre victims
were buried in unmarked graves.
842
00:51:25,492 --> 00:51:27,861
- Clyde Eddy took some
of the same steps today
843
00:51:27,961 --> 00:51:31,831
he first took
78 years ago,
844
00:51:31,931 --> 00:51:33,833
days after
the Tulsa Race Riot.
845
00:51:33,933 --> 00:51:36,169
He was ten at the time,
drawn by the curious sight
846
00:51:36,269 --> 00:51:37,770
of men digging a trench
847
00:51:37,837 --> 00:51:39,973
with large boxes
stacked nearby.
848
00:51:42,142 --> 00:51:44,844
- Clyde Eddy talked about
at the age of ten,
849
00:51:44,944 --> 00:51:46,679
when he was at
the Oaklawn Cemetery,
850
00:51:46,779 --> 00:51:50,049
he saw these giant boxes.
851
00:51:51,151 --> 00:51:54,954
He and his cousin would
go to one of these crates.
852
00:51:55,021 --> 00:51:56,356
- We opened the first box,
853
00:51:56,456 --> 00:51:59,492
{\an8}and there were, um--
excuse me.
854
00:51:59,559 --> 00:52:02,529
{\an8}There were three bodies
of Black people.
855
00:52:02,629 --> 00:52:04,230
The stench was terrible.
856
00:52:04,330 --> 00:52:06,199
- There were other boxes.
857
00:52:06,299 --> 00:52:07,901
Lift up the lid,
and that saw that there
858
00:52:08,001 --> 00:52:10,503
was Black folks
inside of that one.
859
00:52:13,239 --> 00:52:15,842
Black people
in a box, dead.
860
00:52:15,909 --> 00:52:18,244
That's something that would be
etched in your mind forever,
861
00:52:18,344 --> 00:52:21,881
and so for him to tell
a story with such conviction.
862
00:52:21,981 --> 00:52:24,017
I said, let's
dig 'em up now.
863
00:52:27,520 --> 00:52:30,924
- So many people have said
there were no bodies there.
864
00:52:31,024 --> 00:52:33,092
But you know,
all the Black folk
865
00:52:33,193 --> 00:52:36,930
in the community,
we believe they're there.
866
00:52:37,030 --> 00:52:39,332
Those stories were
passed on to us.
867
00:52:40,833 --> 00:52:43,336
- Inch by inch,
crews are digging into
868
00:52:43,403 --> 00:52:47,106
the history of
the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
869
00:52:47,207 --> 00:52:50,109
Tulsa's mayor, G.T. Bynum,
initiated the investigation
870
00:52:50,210 --> 00:52:52,712
to try and find
if there are any victims
871
00:52:52,779 --> 00:52:54,847
buried in mass graves.
872
00:52:54,914 --> 00:52:58,384
- There was a systematic
cover up of the event.
873
00:52:58,451 --> 00:53:02,121
It should not have
taken 99 years.
874
00:53:05,358 --> 00:53:06,960
- We have to pay attention,
875
00:53:07,060 --> 00:53:09,963
we have to pick up
the charred baton
876
00:53:10,063 --> 00:53:11,397
that has been left
in our hands,
877
00:53:11,464 --> 00:53:14,701
and figure out where
the screams are coming from.
878
00:53:14,767 --> 00:53:25,144
♪♪
879
00:53:25,245 --> 00:53:28,248
- Monday,
May 30, 1921.
880
00:53:29,816 --> 00:53:31,150
It happened to
be Memorial Day.
881
00:53:38,558 --> 00:53:41,427
{\an8}- May 30th could have happened
at any point in time
882
00:53:41,494 --> 00:53:45,398
because Tulsa was
already a powder keg.
883
00:53:45,465 --> 00:53:47,767
We do know that
the deathly KKK members
884
00:53:47,834 --> 00:53:49,569
that are part
of the police force,
885
00:53:49,636 --> 00:53:52,438
proudly marching down
the street on Memorial Day.
886
00:53:52,505 --> 00:53:54,774
People describe
it as a massacre,
887
00:53:54,841 --> 00:53:57,944
I've been calling it a war.
888
00:53:58,011 --> 00:54:02,949
- There's systemic causes for
what happened here in 1921,
889
00:54:03,016 --> 00:54:06,185
but you fixate on
this trigger incident
890
00:54:06,286 --> 00:54:10,423
that involved a Black boy
and a white girl on an elevator.
891
00:54:10,490 --> 00:54:12,925
The teenage boy is a boy
named Dick Rowland.
892
00:54:17,030 --> 00:54:18,698
He's at work
on Memorial Day,
893
00:54:18,798 --> 00:54:21,000
shining shoes
in Downtown Tulsa.
894
00:54:23,436 --> 00:54:25,538
- Dick Rowland was
nineteen years old
895
00:54:25,638 --> 00:54:28,474
in the spring of 1921.
896
00:54:28,541 --> 00:54:31,544
He worked in
a white-owned
897
00:54:31,644 --> 00:54:34,213
and white-patronized
shine parlor
898
00:54:34,314 --> 00:54:38,184
on Main Street
in Downtown Tulsa.
899
00:54:38,284 --> 00:54:41,220
- His nickname
is "Diamond Dick"
900
00:54:41,321 --> 00:54:44,390
so he's known to be
this flashy young guy.
901
00:54:44,490 --> 00:54:46,659
[laughing]
902
00:54:46,726 --> 00:54:48,861
He is just another person
in the community
903
00:54:48,961 --> 00:54:51,064
that everyone knows,
904
00:54:51,164 --> 00:54:53,666
but he's-he's never been
seen as a troublemaker.
905
00:54:59,005 --> 00:55:00,473
- There's not
a restroom facility
906
00:55:00,540 --> 00:55:03,209
in the shine parlor,
907
00:55:03,309 --> 00:55:05,078
so the white owner
has arranged for them
908
00:55:05,178 --> 00:55:08,481
to walk down Main Street
to the Drexel Building.
909
00:55:10,316 --> 00:55:12,885
On the fourth floor there was,
quote, "a colored restroom".
910
00:55:20,560 --> 00:55:24,497
{\an8}Something happens when
he enters the elevator.
911
00:55:24,564 --> 00:55:28,434
Elevators are-are manually
operated by a wheel,
912
00:55:28,534 --> 00:55:31,104
it takes a great amount
of skill to get the floor
913
00:55:31,204 --> 00:55:35,174
of the elevator
and the actual floor to line up.
914
00:55:35,241 --> 00:55:39,011
That particular elevator
was very difficult to center,
915
00:55:39,078 --> 00:55:39,912
so the belief is,
916
00:55:43,282 --> 00:55:45,918
that as Dick walked
onto the elevator,
917
00:55:46,018 --> 00:55:48,254
he tripped and just,
by reflex,
918
00:55:48,354 --> 00:55:51,557
threw his hands out
to cushion the fall,
919
00:55:51,624 --> 00:55:54,260
that he grabbed Sarah
by the shoulder,
920
00:55:54,360 --> 00:55:56,796
ripped her dress,
she screams,
921
00:55:56,896 --> 00:56:00,133
and he realizes this
is a dangerous moment for him,
922
00:56:00,233 --> 00:56:01,934
and he runs out
of the elevator
923
00:56:02,034 --> 00:56:03,469
and takes off.
924
00:56:03,569 --> 00:56:06,239
But there was a white clerk
at the Renberg's Clothing Store
925
00:56:06,305 --> 00:56:08,141
who heard the scream,
926
00:56:08,241 --> 00:56:10,743
saw Dick run out
of the building,
927
00:56:10,810 --> 00:56:13,479
and in his mind he puts
two and two together,
928
00:56:13,579 --> 00:56:16,649
and says, "This is
an interracial rape attempt."
929
00:56:18,985 --> 00:56:20,486
The Tulsa Police
are summoned,
930
00:56:20,586 --> 00:56:23,589
but they don't put out
an all-points bulletin
931
00:56:23,656 --> 00:56:24,590
for Dick Rowland,
932
00:56:24,657 --> 00:56:26,893
they don't go
searching for him.
933
00:56:26,959 --> 00:56:30,630
They're not particularly
worried about this event.
934
00:56:30,730 --> 00:56:33,232
However, the Tulsa Tribune,
935
00:56:33,299 --> 00:56:36,602
Tulsa's white daily
afternoon newspaper,
936
00:56:36,669 --> 00:56:38,805
decides to portray
this incident
937
00:56:38,905 --> 00:56:41,307
in a completely
different light.
938
00:56:41,407 --> 00:56:42,809
- The "Tribune"
published an account
939
00:56:42,909 --> 00:56:45,978
of the elevator
incident entitled,
940
00:56:46,078 --> 00:56:49,982
"Nab Negro for Attacking Girl
In an Elevator".
941
00:56:52,151 --> 00:56:54,787
The "Tribune" essentially
claimed that Dick Rowland
942
00:56:54,854 --> 00:56:57,356
tried to rape Sarah Page
in broad daylight
943
00:56:57,457 --> 00:57:00,793
in a public building
in Downtown Tulsa.
944
00:57:00,860 --> 00:57:03,696
The article went
out of its way
945
00:57:03,796 --> 00:57:06,299
to make Sarah Page
look virtuous,
946
00:57:06,365 --> 00:57:09,035
and, as a corollary, to make
Dick Rowland look villainous,
947
00:57:09,135 --> 00:57:11,871
playing on that
white female,
948
00:57:11,971 --> 00:57:15,041
Black male taboo.
949
00:57:15,141 --> 00:57:17,310
- So the next morning,
Tuesday, May 31st,
950
00:57:17,376 --> 00:57:18,711
the Tulsa Police decide,
951
00:57:18,811 --> 00:57:20,513
"We're gonna pick up
Dick Rowland".
952
00:57:20,613 --> 00:57:23,483
So they go to where he lives
with his mother in Greenwood,
953
00:57:23,549 --> 00:57:26,319
arrest him,
954
00:57:26,385 --> 00:57:28,154
take him to
the courthouse, and like,
955
00:57:28,221 --> 00:57:31,224
as with other prisoners,
put him up on the--
956
00:57:31,324 --> 00:57:35,361
in the fourth floor jail.
957
00:57:35,461 --> 00:57:37,964
The first edition
of the "Tulsa Tribune"
958
00:57:38,030 --> 00:57:40,900
hits the streets
around 3:00, 3:30.
959
00:57:43,336 --> 00:57:45,004
Within thirty minutes
there's lynch talks
960
00:57:45,071 --> 00:57:46,639
on the streets of Tulsa.
961
00:57:50,142 --> 00:57:53,045
Lynch talk soon turns
into a lynch mob.
962
00:57:55,648 --> 00:57:57,917
Meanwhile, Black people
are trying to figure out
963
00:57:58,017 --> 00:57:59,852
what's going on,
what to do,
964
00:57:59,919 --> 00:58:02,488
how to organize.
965
00:58:02,555 --> 00:58:04,857
On the stage
of the Dreamland Theatre,
966
00:58:04,924 --> 00:58:07,326
an African-American
World War I Vet
967
00:58:07,393 --> 00:58:10,696
jumps up on the stage and says,
"Shut this place down.
968
00:58:10,763 --> 00:58:13,099
"We ain't gonna let
this happen here."
969
00:58:13,199 --> 00:58:14,867
"It" being a lynching.
970
00:58:16,769 --> 00:58:18,771
There was a feeling
amongst Black vets
971
00:58:18,871 --> 00:58:22,608
that if trouble comes my way,
I ain't dodgin' it.
972
00:58:22,708 --> 00:58:25,878
In Tulsa there had not been
an African-American lynched,
973
00:58:25,945 --> 00:58:28,614
and there were Black men
and women who were prepared
974
00:58:28,714 --> 00:58:32,184
to make sure that
didn't happen.
975
00:58:32,251 --> 00:58:35,588
Around 10:30 at night
or a little before then,
976
00:58:35,688 --> 00:58:37,924
a rumor gets greenlit
977
00:58:38,024 --> 00:58:39,892
that whites are
storming the jail.
978
00:58:42,595 --> 00:58:44,730
Seventy-five
African-American men,
979
00:58:44,797 --> 00:58:48,067
all armed,
drive to the courthouse.
980
00:58:50,069 --> 00:58:52,872
They march up
to the courthouse,
981
00:58:52,939 --> 00:58:54,874
they go up to the sheriff,
982
00:58:54,941 --> 00:58:56,442
who's waiting for them
on the steps,
983
00:58:56,542 --> 00:58:59,946
and they say, "We are here
to help to protect the prisoner
984
00:59:00,046 --> 00:59:01,781
"if you need our help."
985
00:59:01,881 --> 00:59:04,817
Sheriff McCullough says,
"Get the hell out of here,
986
00:59:04,917 --> 00:59:07,386
"I don't want you."
987
00:59:07,453 --> 00:59:09,822
[crowd yelling]
988
00:59:09,922 --> 00:59:13,593
As they are leaving,
an elderly white man
989
00:59:13,659 --> 00:59:17,496
goes up to
a tall Black vet,
990
00:59:17,597 --> 00:59:21,067
and says, "Where you goin'
with that gun?"
991
00:59:21,133 --> 00:59:24,236
And the vet says, "I'm gonna
use it if I need to."
992
00:59:25,404 --> 00:59:27,840
The white man says,
"Like hell you are."
993
00:59:27,940 --> 00:59:30,810
Tries to get the gun,
there's a struggle,
994
00:59:30,910 --> 00:59:31,978
a shot goes off.
995
00:59:32,078 --> 00:59:34,080
[gun shot]
996
00:59:34,146 --> 00:59:36,282
The worst incident
of racial violence
997
00:59:36,349 --> 00:59:37,750
in American history begins.
998
00:59:41,954 --> 00:59:44,924
- As the evening starts
to fall, May 31st,
999
00:59:44,991 --> 00:59:47,526
by seven o'clock there
are already hundreds of people
1000
00:59:47,627 --> 00:59:49,695
circling around
the courthouse.
1001
00:59:49,795 --> 00:59:53,032
By nine, ten is where
things really start to reach
1002
00:59:53,132 --> 00:59:57,470
this sort of, uh boiling point,
and shots are fired.
1003
00:59:57,536 --> 01:00:00,106
At the same time all this
is happening downtown.
1004
01:00:00,172 --> 01:00:02,375
You have people that
are still waiting
1005
01:00:02,475 --> 01:00:04,276
to go to their prom
at Booker T. Washington.
1006
01:00:06,846 --> 01:00:08,514
You have people that
are still going to movies
1007
01:00:08,614 --> 01:00:10,950
in the Dreamland
and the [indistinct] Theater.
1008
01:00:11,017 --> 01:00:13,986
You have people that are still
moving about their lives
1009
01:00:14,053 --> 01:00:15,888
that aren't aware
of what's happening.
1010
01:00:19,692 --> 01:00:23,362
{\an8}- We went down to
a late show, movie.
1011
01:00:23,462 --> 01:00:25,798
{\an8}Somebody came in and shouted,
"Nigger fight! Nigger fight!"
1012
01:00:28,234 --> 01:00:30,236
We went out the door
and just got there
1013
01:00:30,336 --> 01:00:32,638
when a Negro ran out
of the alley.
1014
01:00:32,705 --> 01:00:34,573
The minute his head
showed outside,
1015
01:00:34,674 --> 01:00:37,076
somebody shot him.
1016
01:00:37,176 --> 01:00:39,311
And, uh, this man
was shot and rolled out
1017
01:00:39,378 --> 01:00:42,081
in the middle of the street
with a revolver in his hand.
1018
01:00:43,849 --> 01:00:46,185
And this crowd around him
wouldn't let anybody touch him,
1019
01:00:46,252 --> 01:00:49,422
pick him up, wouldn't let
an ambulance take him.
1020
01:00:49,522 --> 01:00:52,591
But he was the first man
that was shot in the riot.
1021
01:00:52,692 --> 01:00:54,827
- Nobody cares about
Dick Rowland anymore.
1022
01:00:54,894 --> 01:00:57,730
The white mob is now out
to get any Black person
1023
01:00:57,830 --> 01:00:59,231
in their sights.
1024
01:01:01,867 --> 01:01:04,870
- The teeming white mob
spilled over the Frisco tracks
1025
01:01:04,937 --> 01:01:07,206
into the Greenwood community...
1026
01:01:09,742 --> 01:01:14,213
- ...carrying rifles,
pistols,
1027
01:01:14,280 --> 01:01:16,949
matches, and cans
of gasoline.
1028
01:01:17,049 --> 01:01:23,422
♪♪
1029
01:01:23,522 --> 01:01:26,625
- In the words of one of
the massacre survivors,
1030
01:01:26,726 --> 01:01:28,060
"All hell broke loose."
1031
01:01:31,263 --> 01:01:33,399
Looting...
1032
01:01:33,466 --> 01:01:35,868
shooting...
1033
01:01:35,935 --> 01:01:39,271
burning, destroying
everything in sight.
1034
01:01:42,875 --> 01:01:46,212
- People are taking
shelter in their homes
1035
01:01:46,278 --> 01:01:47,580
or packing up
their stuff and fleeing,
1036
01:01:47,646 --> 01:01:50,649
whatever they can.
1037
01:01:53,219 --> 01:01:54,653
{\an8}- My Mother said,
"Here they come,
1038
01:01:54,754 --> 01:01:55,588
{\an8}"here they come."
1039
01:01:55,654 --> 01:01:57,056
{\an8}And they came in
the house with torches
1040
01:01:57,123 --> 01:02:00,493
and they set
the house on fire.
1041
01:02:00,593 --> 01:02:03,896
Oh, it was like a nightmare.
Everything was in flames.
1042
01:02:09,835 --> 01:02:12,471
{\an8}- On the evening
of May 31st,
1043
01:02:12,571 --> 01:02:13,773
{\an8}my little girl
had not retired
1044
01:02:13,839 --> 01:02:16,509
{\an8}but was watching the people
from the window.
1045
01:02:16,609 --> 01:02:20,279
She said, "Mother,
I see men with guns."
1046
01:02:20,346 --> 01:02:22,815
Then I ran to the window
and looked out.
1047
01:02:22,915 --> 01:02:25,317
There I saw many people
gathered in little squads,
1048
01:02:25,417 --> 01:02:27,153
talking excitedly.
1049
01:02:27,253 --> 01:02:29,288
There was a great shadow
in the sky,
1050
01:02:29,355 --> 01:02:32,124
and upon second look
we discerned that this cloud
1051
01:02:32,191 --> 01:02:35,928
was caused by
fast-approaching airplanes.
1052
01:02:35,995 --> 01:02:38,497
It then dawned
upon us that the enemy
1053
01:02:38,597 --> 01:02:42,201
had organized in the night
and was invading our district
1054
01:02:42,301 --> 01:02:45,371
the same as the Germans
invaded France.
1055
01:02:45,471 --> 01:02:47,139
I took my little girl,
Florence Mary,
1056
01:02:47,206 --> 01:02:50,376
by the hand and fled out
the West door on Greenwood,
1057
01:02:50,476 --> 01:02:53,012
running amidst
showers of bullets.
1058
01:02:57,516 --> 01:03:00,119
{\an8}- I was so afraid,
1059
01:03:00,186 --> 01:03:02,855
{\an8}because bullets were
coming down around us.
1060
01:03:02,955 --> 01:03:06,058
All of the planes
were up in the air,
1061
01:03:06,158 --> 01:03:10,129
shooting down, and I could
hear those bullets falling.
1062
01:03:10,196 --> 01:03:12,565
There were a lot
of people running,
1063
01:03:12,665 --> 01:03:16,969
dodging the bullets,
and just afraid.
1064
01:03:20,139 --> 01:03:21,473
- They're shooting people
on sight,
1065
01:03:21,540 --> 01:03:23,742
even if you're complying
with their demands.
1066
01:03:23,843 --> 01:03:27,146
That's what happened
to Dr. A.C. Jackson.
1067
01:03:27,213 --> 01:03:29,849
- A.C. Jackson was
a prominent Black surgeon,
1068
01:03:29,915 --> 01:03:32,685
he was accosted
at his home,
1069
01:03:32,751 --> 01:03:34,854
he exited his house
in compliance
1070
01:03:34,920 --> 01:03:37,056
with the demands
of the mobsters,
1071
01:03:37,156 --> 01:03:39,592
hands held high.
1072
01:03:39,692 --> 01:03:41,927
But he was actually gunned
down by a young white man
1073
01:03:42,027 --> 01:03:44,196
and he ultimately
bled to death.
1074
01:03:49,235 --> 01:03:53,105
Black men put up
a vigorous, robust defense.
1075
01:03:53,205 --> 01:03:54,607
They were outgunned,
and outnumbered,
1076
01:03:54,707 --> 01:03:56,342
and overmatched.
1077
01:04:03,048 --> 01:04:06,252
The violence
lasted sixteen hours,
1078
01:04:06,352 --> 01:04:09,288
a unit of the National Guard
sent in from Oklahoma City.
1079
01:04:09,388 --> 01:04:13,792
♪♪
1080
01:04:13,893 --> 01:04:17,763
When the dust settled,
at least 1,250 homes
1081
01:04:17,863 --> 01:04:19,899
in the Black community
were destroyed.
1082
01:04:22,034 --> 01:04:25,070
Between 100 and 300 people,
most of them Black,
1083
01:04:25,137 --> 01:04:26,472
were killed.
1084
01:04:26,572 --> 01:04:39,251
♪♪
1085
01:04:39,318 --> 01:04:40,486
- So twenty years ago,
1086
01:04:40,586 --> 01:04:41,954
we had a mayor here
that said, "Hey.
1087
01:04:42,054 --> 01:04:44,290
"We're gonna go into Oaklawn
and were gonna excavate,
1088
01:04:44,390 --> 01:04:47,826
"because we have an idea
of where some bodies might be."
1089
01:04:49,728 --> 01:04:51,997
{\an8}- We brought in ground
penetrating radar;
1090
01:04:52,097 --> 01:04:55,067
{\an8}they showed that there were
anomalies in these areas.
1091
01:04:56,902 --> 01:04:59,672
- I was twenty years younger,
standing out in Oaklawn.
1092
01:05:01,507 --> 01:05:02,775
We were all out there,
1093
01:05:02,841 --> 01:05:04,677
but we were about
to do this, right?
1094
01:05:08,614 --> 01:05:09,815
They called it
off abruptly
1095
01:05:09,915 --> 01:05:11,684
because there was
a white family
1096
01:05:11,784 --> 01:05:16,322
that did not want
that area to be disturbed.
1097
01:05:16,422 --> 01:05:19,124
They suggested that
there was a, perhaps,
1098
01:05:19,191 --> 01:05:22,461
a white body that
was buried underground
1099
01:05:22,528 --> 01:05:24,029
and that that body
would have been disturbed
1100
01:05:24,129 --> 01:05:26,098
as you're looking
for race massacre dead.
1101
01:05:29,335 --> 01:05:31,770
- Our effort got
caught up in politics.
1102
01:05:31,837 --> 01:05:33,439
- A bunch of lawmakers,
1103
01:05:33,505 --> 01:05:35,474
they pretty much
didn't really care.
1104
01:05:35,541 --> 01:05:38,110
{\an8}It made the state
look bad.
1105
01:05:38,177 --> 01:05:41,113
{\an8}- I am thoroughly convinced
1106
01:05:41,180 --> 01:05:43,716
{\an8}that the state of Oklahoma
was not culpable.
1107
01:05:45,484 --> 01:05:47,686
- We were shut down
by the City of Tulsa,
1108
01:05:47,786 --> 01:05:49,355
and at that point,
I, you know,
1109
01:05:49,455 --> 01:05:51,123
I thought the ballgame
was over.
1110
01:05:57,863 --> 01:05:58,897
- For some people it's like,
1111
01:05:58,998 --> 01:06:00,733
"Why are you guys
desecrating the grave?"
1112
01:06:00,833 --> 01:06:02,568
- Right.
- We're not
desecrating graves,
1113
01:06:02,668 --> 01:06:05,037
we're finding out the truth.
- And those answers--
1114
01:06:05,137 --> 01:06:07,539
ancestors had never
had a proper burial.
1115
01:06:07,639 --> 01:06:08,841
- Absolutely.
1116
01:06:11,477 --> 01:06:13,245
- I was on the City Council
at the time.
1117
01:06:16,482 --> 01:06:19,418
Years later,
a local journalist--
1118
01:06:19,518 --> 01:06:22,021
- My name's Lee Roy Chapman,
and this is "Public Secrets".
1119
01:06:22,087 --> 01:06:25,357
- He did a video series
about Tulsa's hidden secrets.
1120
01:06:25,424 --> 01:06:26,725
[squeaking]
1121
01:06:26,825 --> 01:06:29,194
And one of them,
I was watching...
1122
01:06:29,261 --> 01:06:31,830
- Um, Oaklawn Cemetery
has been rumored
1123
01:06:31,897 --> 01:06:34,566
for nearly a hundred years
to be the, uh,
1124
01:06:34,666 --> 01:06:36,502
location of a mass grave,
1125
01:06:36,568 --> 01:06:38,937
uh, attributed to
the Tulsa Race Riot.
1126
01:06:39,038 --> 01:06:41,340
- What's my
immediate reaction?
1127
01:06:41,407 --> 01:06:44,209
There is no way that
could possibly be true.
1128
01:06:44,276 --> 01:06:46,745
The mass grave
in Oaklawn cemetery,
1129
01:06:46,845 --> 01:06:49,114
where my great grandparents
are buried,
1130
01:06:49,214 --> 01:06:50,182
and that no one would have
ever bothered to look.
1131
01:06:55,554 --> 01:06:59,091
This is a historic day
for Tulsa and for our country
1132
01:06:59,191 --> 01:07:03,695
as we begin a test excavation
in Oaklawn Cemetery.
1133
01:07:05,431 --> 01:07:07,633
- There's nothing abstract,
there's nothing theoretical.
1134
01:07:07,733 --> 01:07:09,301
{\an8}This is not
a research project.
1135
01:07:09,401 --> 01:07:11,637
{\an8}This is an investigation.
1136
01:07:11,737 --> 01:07:14,073
- Scientists are set to
finally break ground
1137
01:07:14,139 --> 01:07:18,644
in the effort to find victims
of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
1138
01:07:18,744 --> 01:07:20,813
- Nearly 100 years later,
the families to victims
1139
01:07:20,913 --> 01:07:23,248
of the 1921 Tulsa
Race Massacre
1140
01:07:23,315 --> 01:07:26,452
could get answers
and closure.
1141
01:07:26,552 --> 01:07:28,120
- It should have been done
well before now,
1142
01:07:28,220 --> 01:07:29,988
but it wasn't.
1143
01:07:30,089 --> 01:07:33,125
That is a baton that's
been handed to us,
1144
01:07:33,225 --> 01:07:36,095
and it is--
it is not an easy race.
1145
01:07:39,431 --> 01:07:43,335
The initial excavation will
be focused on a location
1146
01:07:43,435 --> 01:07:46,105
within Oaklawn Cemetery that
we felt had a high likelihood
1147
01:07:46,171 --> 01:07:49,508
for encountering
a mass grave.
1148
01:07:49,608 --> 01:07:52,277
We focused on
an anomaly,
1149
01:07:52,344 --> 01:07:54,179
uh, that had
been detected.
1150
01:07:56,315 --> 01:07:58,484
That anomaly to us
was an indication
1151
01:07:58,584 --> 01:08:01,019
that it was possibly
a mass grave.
1152
01:08:03,822 --> 01:08:06,525
As we were excavating down,
we very quickly realized
1153
01:08:06,625 --> 01:08:09,328
that we had materials
that didn't really belong there.
1154
01:08:13,265 --> 01:08:15,434
- The search turned up
many old artifacts,
1155
01:08:15,501 --> 01:08:18,203
but after reaching three
and a half meters in depth,
1156
01:08:18,303 --> 01:08:21,373
the excavation was
called off on Wednesday.
1157
01:08:21,473 --> 01:08:24,443
- We do not have indications
of a mass grave, um,
1158
01:08:24,510 --> 01:08:26,278
in this portion
of Oaklawn Cemetery.
1159
01:08:31,150 --> 01:08:34,453
There is a-a heavy weight
of responsibility
1160
01:08:34,520 --> 01:08:37,890
that comes with trying
to assist in this effort.
1161
01:08:39,458 --> 01:08:40,492
There is that
sense of optimism
1162
01:08:40,559 --> 01:08:43,662
that comes from the fact
that the investigation
1163
01:08:43,729 --> 01:08:46,832
has been reopened.
1164
01:08:49,168 --> 01:08:52,070
But you-you also are
worried because it has--
1165
01:08:52,170 --> 01:08:53,338
there's a perpetual feeling
1166
01:08:53,405 --> 01:08:55,340
that the other shoe
is gonna fall,
1167
01:08:55,407 --> 01:08:58,810
and this expectation
of disappointment.
1168
01:08:58,877 --> 01:09:03,148
But it's extremely important
to remember why we're there
1169
01:09:03,215 --> 01:09:05,584
and who we're
trying to find.
1170
01:09:12,324 --> 01:09:15,928
- Sometimes stuff just makes
you want to just give up,
1171
01:09:16,028 --> 01:09:17,529
but other times those
are those times like,
1172
01:09:17,596 --> 01:09:19,531
no, you keep going,
1173
01:09:19,598 --> 01:09:21,900
'cause the ancestors are
not gonna let you give up,
1174
01:09:22,000 --> 01:09:23,268
they're gonna
keep pushing you.
1175
01:09:23,368 --> 01:09:26,238
When you say you quit,
they say, "No, you don't",
1176
01:09:26,338 --> 01:09:29,875
it puts you right back up
and do it all over again.
1177
01:09:29,942 --> 01:09:31,577
- That's why
it's cold today.
1178
01:09:31,677 --> 01:09:32,844
The ancestors are like,
1179
01:09:32,911 --> 01:09:34,846
"You're gonna feel the chill
of my bones today, man."
1180
01:09:34,913 --> 01:09:37,115
- Ooohh.
- Yes.
1181
01:09:37,216 --> 01:09:38,350
- Ooohh.
1182
01:09:38,417 --> 01:09:39,518
- That's what-that's
what they want us to feel.
1183
01:09:39,585 --> 01:09:41,620
They want everybody to feel
what that feels like.
1184
01:09:47,025 --> 01:09:48,927
- There's all kinds
of good things
1185
01:09:49,027 --> 01:09:50,629
that you find
in South Tulsa.
1186
01:09:50,729 --> 01:09:54,066
{\an8}You'll find computer stores,
you'll find bookstores,
1187
01:09:54,132 --> 01:09:56,969
{\an8}you'll find
twenty-four hour pharmacy,
1188
01:09:57,069 --> 01:09:58,804
you'll find
health food stores.
1189
01:09:58,904 --> 01:10:01,306
None of those things
can be found in North Tulsa.
1190
01:10:01,406 --> 01:10:04,643
North Tulsa's a food desert,
and that's got to change.
1191
01:10:11,550 --> 01:10:13,719
{\an8}- One of the things that
people don't generally know
1192
01:10:13,785 --> 01:10:16,288
{\an8}is that the Greenwood community
actually came back
1193
01:10:16,388 --> 01:10:18,257
{\an8}after it was destroyed.
1194
01:10:19,424 --> 01:10:21,994
{\an8}- It was rebuilt because
the rural community, uh,
1195
01:10:22,094 --> 01:10:26,765
{\an8}rural lands were still
owned mostly by Black folk.
1196
01:10:29,968 --> 01:10:31,937
But by the 1960s,
1197
01:10:32,004 --> 01:10:34,006
these towns started
to disappear.
1198
01:10:37,276 --> 01:10:40,846
- There is this idea that
Greenwood was destroyed in 1921,
1199
01:10:40,946 --> 01:10:42,781
and that's the end
of the story.
1200
01:10:42,848 --> 01:10:45,817
But there's 100 years after that
that we need to talk about.
1201
01:10:49,755 --> 01:10:52,291
- Tulsa is just a tale
of two cities.
1202
01:11:00,165 --> 01:11:03,001
North Tulsa's a predominantly
African-American community.
1203
01:11:08,140 --> 01:11:11,643
And South Tulsa you have
predominantly white community.
1204
01:11:13,679 --> 01:11:17,282
This city of Tulsa is
the most segregated city,
1205
01:11:17,349 --> 01:11:20,052
geographically,
economically,
1206
01:11:20,152 --> 01:11:23,722
socially, and all
of the above.
1207
01:11:26,992 --> 01:11:27,859
- Growing up in North Tulsa,
1208
01:11:31,630 --> 01:11:34,066
I started to notice
buildings looked different,
1209
01:11:34,166 --> 01:11:35,867
institutions
looked different.
1210
01:11:39,338 --> 01:11:41,173
Wow, there's
a whole 'nother world
1211
01:11:41,239 --> 01:11:42,674
I wasn't even aware of.
1212
01:11:47,546 --> 01:11:50,649
We've already
experienced dislocation,
1213
01:11:50,716 --> 01:11:52,851
urban removal,
1214
01:11:52,918 --> 01:11:54,553
eminent domain,
1215
01:11:54,653 --> 01:11:56,822
all of those things.
1216
01:11:59,324 --> 01:12:03,495
Those people who lived in
Greenwood saw its demise twice.
1217
01:12:03,562 --> 01:12:06,064
[explosion rumbling]
1218
01:12:13,939 --> 01:12:17,175
{\an8}- The people who have lived in
an urban center for many years
1219
01:12:17,242 --> 01:12:19,578
{\an8}certainly do have rights.
1220
01:12:21,012 --> 01:12:25,517
{\an8}However, they do not
have the right to frustrate
1221
01:12:25,584 --> 01:12:28,720
the creative efforts of
very diligent people
1222
01:12:28,787 --> 01:12:30,922
who are trying
to bring back
1223
01:12:31,022 --> 01:12:34,526
vitality, and wholeness,
and beauty into the city.
1224
01:12:39,531 --> 01:12:41,700
- I grew up at
1415 North Greenwood.
1225
01:12:41,767 --> 01:12:44,536
We owned the house
on Greenwood.
1226
01:12:44,603 --> 01:12:47,572
When I grew up, I had
a church in front of me,
1227
01:12:47,639 --> 01:12:51,543
right literally behind me
was the school that I went to,
1228
01:12:51,610 --> 01:12:52,944
to my right was
the Black hospital
1229
01:12:53,044 --> 01:12:55,947
that I was born in,
that was Morton Hospital,
1230
01:12:56,047 --> 01:12:58,417
and then we had
Jack's Memory Chapel
1231
01:12:58,483 --> 01:13:00,719
right there,
so the whole cycle of life
1232
01:13:00,786 --> 01:13:03,722
was right within a block
and a half of me where I lived.
1233
01:13:03,789 --> 01:13:05,891
That's the community
I grew up in.
1234
01:13:05,957 --> 01:13:08,994
As happened in every city
across this nation
1235
01:13:09,094 --> 01:13:11,763
in the sixties, seventies,
1236
01:13:11,830 --> 01:13:14,166
there was something
called urban,
1237
01:13:14,266 --> 01:13:16,768
what they call renewal,
what I call urban removal.
1238
01:13:20,138 --> 01:13:21,306
Yeah, I love that.
1239
01:13:21,406 --> 01:13:22,507
Yeah, when they want
to talk about Black folks,
1240
01:13:22,607 --> 01:13:23,842
right, instead of saying,
"Black folks live over here.
1241
01:13:23,942 --> 01:13:25,811
"That's the urban area."
Right?
1242
01:13:25,911 --> 01:13:27,612
"That's urban music."
1243
01:13:27,679 --> 01:13:30,615
Just call things
as they are.
1244
01:13:30,682 --> 01:13:32,984
- To whites,
the words urban renewal
1245
01:13:33,084 --> 01:13:35,620
have a promising,
hopeful sound.
1246
01:13:35,687 --> 01:13:38,123
But to Blacks,
they mean move out.
1247
01:13:38,190 --> 01:13:41,593
In a block like this,
as many as a thousand men,
1248
01:13:41,660 --> 01:13:43,929
women, and children
have been forced out
1249
01:13:43,995 --> 01:13:47,199
in the name of some
progress yet to come.
1250
01:13:47,299 --> 01:13:50,502
- So urban renewal was coming
through telling you all,
1251
01:13:50,602 --> 01:13:52,037
"Those houses that
you're living in here,
1252
01:13:52,137 --> 01:13:54,606
"we have a better use"
as they say,
1253
01:13:54,673 --> 01:13:57,809
"a greater use
for this land."
1254
01:13:57,876 --> 01:13:58,777
And they tell you,
1255
01:13:58,844 --> 01:14:00,378
"We're gonna renew
your community,
1256
01:14:00,479 --> 01:14:04,282
"and this is gonna be better
then you left it."
1257
01:14:04,349 --> 01:14:08,720
They moved us out of our houses
for the "greater good".
1258
01:14:08,820 --> 01:14:11,623
We were dislocated
from our home.
1259
01:14:11,690 --> 01:14:14,826
And when I tell you
there's still a big space
1260
01:14:14,893 --> 01:14:16,461
at 1415 North Greenwood,
1261
01:14:16,528 --> 01:14:20,065
nothing was ever built there,
but they told us we had to go.
1262
01:14:20,165 --> 01:14:23,034
And then you saw
the decline of Greenwood
1263
01:14:23,134 --> 01:14:26,738
as you saw folks moved out
of their homes.
1264
01:14:29,007 --> 01:14:33,645
{\an8}- The reason and the causes
of this economic downturn
1265
01:14:33,712 --> 01:14:36,748
was the construction
of the Crosstown Expressway
1266
01:14:36,848 --> 01:14:40,585
that cut through
the heart of Greenwood.
1267
01:14:40,685 --> 01:14:43,154
In fact, they took
the heart out.
1268
01:14:43,221 --> 01:14:45,390
Urban renewal and this
major highway construction
1269
01:14:45,490 --> 01:14:48,593
really took out the--
most of the entrepreneurial,
1270
01:14:48,693 --> 01:14:51,530
uh, businesses
that were there.
1271
01:14:51,596 --> 01:14:54,499
- Just this area's changed
a lot with the, uh--
1272
01:14:54,566 --> 01:14:56,201
uh, Crosstown coming through.
1273
01:14:56,268 --> 01:14:58,270
Hasn't a lot
of the business moved out?
1274
01:14:58,370 --> 01:14:59,538
- That's correct.
1275
01:14:59,604 --> 01:15:00,405
- What happened in Tulsa
1276
01:15:00,505 --> 01:15:02,173
happened all over
the United States.
1277
01:15:02,240 --> 01:15:04,276
Highways were located
right through the heart
1278
01:15:04,376 --> 01:15:05,777
of communities of color.
1279
01:15:07,913 --> 01:15:11,950
- I started photographing
back in 1969
1280
01:15:12,050 --> 01:15:15,420
here at North Tulsa,
the Greenwood area.
1281
01:15:15,520 --> 01:15:18,623
And what I saw in
the Greenwood area was that
1282
01:15:18,723 --> 01:15:21,192
there were a lot of businesses
that were closing up.
1283
01:15:21,259 --> 01:15:23,261
One of those photographs
that I took on Greenwood,
1284
01:15:23,361 --> 01:15:26,464
he was a tall gentle,
and erect proud Black man,
1285
01:15:26,565 --> 01:15:31,303
I call it Baltimore Barbershop
that I took in 1970.
1286
01:15:31,403 --> 01:15:32,470
He went to the window
and started
1287
01:15:32,571 --> 01:15:36,541
looking out the window,
and what he saw was
1288
01:15:36,608 --> 01:15:40,211
bulldozers tearing down
buildings in front of him.
1289
01:15:41,913 --> 01:15:43,648
And I asked him
what he thought about that,
1290
01:15:43,748 --> 01:15:46,885
and he said, "Well, I think
I'm gonna be next."
1291
01:15:49,287 --> 01:15:51,289
So I took his photograph
1292
01:15:51,389 --> 01:15:54,159
and, uh,
the next day I came back,
1293
01:15:54,259 --> 01:15:56,161
sure enough,
his business was gone
1294
01:15:56,261 --> 01:15:58,496
and so was he.
1295
01:15:58,597 --> 01:16:02,300
Most of the businesses
in that area were boarded up,
1296
01:16:02,400 --> 01:16:05,503
and all that remained
was a [indistinct]
1297
01:16:05,604 --> 01:16:07,505
of Black Wall Street.
1298
01:16:07,606 --> 01:16:09,140
It was no longer
Black Wall Street,
1299
01:16:09,240 --> 01:16:10,842
it was a ghost town.
1300
01:16:10,942 --> 01:16:17,949
♪♪
1301
01:16:30,328 --> 01:16:33,031
- Oh man, I tell ya...
1302
01:16:46,645 --> 01:16:50,115
{\an8}- We owned
a skating rink there.
1303
01:16:50,181 --> 01:16:54,953
{\an8}During the riot
it got burned down,
1304
01:16:55,020 --> 01:16:58,490
{\an8}our home got burned down.
1305
01:16:58,556 --> 01:17:01,960
We lost all of this--
our property, our home.
1306
01:17:08,867 --> 01:17:14,973
- Every church,
our schoolhouses was blown up.
1307
01:17:24,049 --> 01:17:25,583
People were killed,
and you go in
1308
01:17:25,684 --> 01:17:27,385
{\an8}and see the people mangled.
1309
01:17:30,655 --> 01:17:33,191
{\an8}And then some people
you never heard of anymore of,
1310
01:17:33,258 --> 01:17:36,094
{\an8}you don't know where they--
whether they were killed,
1311
01:17:36,194 --> 01:17:38,830
whether they'd just left town.
1312
01:18:13,231 --> 01:18:18,570
- On the morning of June 1st,
after the massacres,
1313
01:18:18,636 --> 01:18:22,273
the National Guard
and some police
1314
01:18:22,373 --> 01:18:25,543
and maybe some civilians
began rounding up
1315
01:18:25,610 --> 01:18:28,913
all of the African-American
population in Greenwood
1316
01:18:28,980 --> 01:18:31,783
that they-that they could.
1317
01:18:31,883 --> 01:18:36,387
There were between five and
seven thousand people detained.
1318
01:18:39,324 --> 01:18:41,726
And the reason given
for that was that
1319
01:18:41,793 --> 01:18:43,661
it was for
their own protection,
1320
01:18:43,762 --> 01:18:46,498
that they were gonna be put
some place safe.
1321
01:18:46,598 --> 01:18:48,767
Everybody who was still
in custody
1322
01:18:48,833 --> 01:18:52,771
was moved to the fairgrounds
east of Greenwood.
1323
01:18:52,837 --> 01:18:55,273
They set up cots
in a kitchen,
1324
01:18:55,340 --> 01:18:58,476
they dug latrines.
1325
01:18:58,576 --> 01:19:01,513
The people who stayed there
were expected to work.
1326
01:19:01,613 --> 01:19:04,516
The women would
prepare the meals,
1327
01:19:04,616 --> 01:19:08,319
the men were sent out to work
cleaning up Greenwood.
1328
01:19:13,858 --> 01:19:15,160
- Folks in these
internment camps
1329
01:19:15,260 --> 01:19:19,097
had to have a green card.
1330
01:19:19,164 --> 01:19:21,666
- I don't know how they got
these little cards
1331
01:19:21,766 --> 01:19:22,667
{\an8}printed so fast,
1332
01:19:22,767 --> 01:19:25,336
{\an8}but everybody had
a little I.D. card,
1333
01:19:25,436 --> 01:19:28,706
{\an8}school children and all,
told what you did,
1334
01:19:28,807 --> 01:19:30,942
{\an8}and you had to have
that little I.D.
1335
01:19:31,009 --> 01:19:32,710
wherever you went.
1336
01:19:32,811 --> 01:19:35,113
- And to get out of these
internment centers,
1337
01:19:35,180 --> 01:19:37,649
they needed to be countersigned
by a white person.
1338
01:19:37,715 --> 01:19:40,051
Essentially, a white person
would vouch for them
1339
01:19:40,151 --> 01:19:42,487
and get them out of
these internment centers.
1340
01:19:44,823 --> 01:19:47,358
{\an8}The theory at--
by the authorities
1341
01:19:47,458 --> 01:19:49,694
was that this was done
to protect people
1342
01:19:49,794 --> 01:19:52,730
from physical harm
in a context of
1343
01:19:52,831 --> 01:19:55,066
this chaotic situation.
1344
01:19:55,166 --> 01:19:57,535
There wasn't a lot of
justification that was needed
1345
01:19:57,635 --> 01:20:00,171
because who has power
and who doesn't?
1346
01:20:02,574 --> 01:20:06,911
- The people who had homes
to go to went to those homes.
1347
01:20:07,011 --> 01:20:10,748
Some people left town.
1348
01:20:10,849 --> 01:20:12,183
The Red Cross
was operating out of
1349
01:20:12,250 --> 01:20:14,252
Booker T. Washington
High School,
1350
01:20:14,352 --> 01:20:16,988
and the Red Cross would buy them
a train ticket
1351
01:20:17,055 --> 01:20:20,158
if they wanted to leave town.
1352
01:20:20,225 --> 01:20:22,193
{\an8}- I found that
the high school building
1353
01:20:22,260 --> 01:20:23,895
{\an8}was still standing.
1354
01:20:23,995 --> 01:20:27,732
{\an8}I saw a big white streamer
with a red cross on it.
1355
01:20:27,832 --> 01:20:30,268
I felt pangs of joy,
for this meant to me
1356
01:20:30,368 --> 01:20:34,339
that I was getting in close
touch with friends again.
1357
01:20:34,405 --> 01:20:37,742
I breathed a prayer
of thanks.
1358
01:20:37,842 --> 01:20:40,678
- The Red Cross began
obtaining these tents
1359
01:20:40,745 --> 01:20:43,181
that people could live in.
1360
01:20:43,248 --> 01:20:45,917
- Many Black families
spent days, weeks, months
1361
01:20:46,017 --> 01:20:49,787
living in tent cities
on the charred earth.
1362
01:21:01,900 --> 01:21:04,936
{\an8}- Everything they had was gone,
and they were expected
1363
01:21:05,036 --> 01:21:06,404
to immediately
just go about their lives
1364
01:21:06,471 --> 01:21:09,574
like nothing had happened.
1365
01:21:09,641 --> 01:21:13,044
Y-You have to think
the trauma was-was terrible.
1366
01:21:18,983 --> 01:21:22,420
{\an8}- When we reaching the house,
I saw my piano
1367
01:21:22,487 --> 01:21:26,157
{\an8}and all my elegant furniture
piled in the street.
1368
01:21:27,558 --> 01:21:33,665
My safe had been broken open,
all my money stolen,
1369
01:21:33,765 --> 01:21:36,734
all my silverware,
cut glass,
1370
01:21:36,801 --> 01:21:38,636
all my family clothing,
1371
01:21:38,736 --> 01:21:42,674
and everything of value
had been removed,
1372
01:21:42,774 --> 01:21:45,944
even my family Bible.
1373
01:21:46,010 --> 01:21:46,911
Our car was stolen
1374
01:21:46,978 --> 01:21:49,781
and most of my large rugs
were taken.
1375
01:21:49,847 --> 01:21:52,750
I lost seventeen houses
that paid me an average
1376
01:21:52,817 --> 01:21:55,954
of over $425 per month.
1377
01:21:57,455 --> 01:22:12,036
♪♪
1378
01:22:13,805 --> 01:22:16,274
- Riot is a term of art, really.
1379
01:22:16,341 --> 01:22:18,109
These events
throughout the nation
1380
01:22:18,176 --> 01:22:20,511
during this period were called
"Race Riots".
1381
01:22:23,481 --> 01:22:26,517
And it's significant in part
because insurance polices,
1382
01:22:26,617 --> 01:22:28,219
for example,
during that period
1383
01:22:28,319 --> 01:22:30,655
often had
exclusionary clauses.
1384
01:22:30,722 --> 01:22:33,024
And so if your damage
was occasioned by riot
1385
01:22:33,124 --> 01:22:34,125
or civil unrest,
1386
01:22:34,192 --> 01:22:35,994
the insurance company
didn't have to pay.
1387
01:22:37,628 --> 01:22:40,398
One of the things
we know is that
1388
01:22:40,498 --> 01:22:41,966
a number of people in the mob
1389
01:22:42,033 --> 01:22:43,167
that destroyed
the Greenwood community
1390
01:22:43,234 --> 01:22:47,305
were deputized by
local law enforcement officers;
1391
01:22:47,372 --> 01:22:49,741
much of that was done
by a wink and a nod.
1392
01:22:49,841 --> 01:22:52,143
Those people knew that
they were not going to be
1393
01:22:52,210 --> 01:22:55,513
impeded by
law enforcement.
1394
01:22:55,580 --> 01:22:57,915
The massacre was referred to,
in some documents,
1395
01:22:58,016 --> 01:23:00,752
as a Negro uprising,
which suggests that
1396
01:23:00,852 --> 01:23:04,255
the Black community's
to blame.
1397
01:23:06,357 --> 01:23:09,193
- In the immediate aftermath
there was a grand jury,
1398
01:23:09,260 --> 01:23:13,264
and it indicted,
I think it's 88 people.
1399
01:23:13,364 --> 01:23:17,035
Some of whom were white,
most of whom were Black.
1400
01:23:17,101 --> 01:23:20,171
- First was the indictment
of J.B. Stradford
1401
01:23:20,238 --> 01:23:22,940
who owned a hotel
and was a lawyer.
1402
01:23:23,041 --> 01:23:25,009
A.J. Smitherman was the editor
and publisher of
1403
01:23:25,076 --> 01:23:26,110
"The Tulsa Star",
1404
01:23:26,210 --> 01:23:29,380
which is the leading
Black newspaper.
1405
01:23:29,447 --> 01:23:31,449
He, along with a number
of other Black men
1406
01:23:31,549 --> 01:23:34,585
was indicted
for inciting a riot.
1407
01:23:36,020 --> 01:23:38,356
- Let the blame for
this Negro uprising
1408
01:23:38,423 --> 01:23:42,293
lie right where it belongs:
on those armed Negroes
1409
01:23:42,393 --> 01:23:44,562
and their followers
who started this trouble
1410
01:23:44,629 --> 01:23:46,197
and who instigated it.
1411
01:23:46,264 --> 01:23:48,633
And any persons who seeks
to put half the blame
1412
01:23:48,733 --> 01:23:50,802
on the white people
are wrong.
1413
01:23:56,474 --> 01:23:59,811
- It is one of the big ironies
of-of all of this
1414
01:23:59,911 --> 01:24:03,147
that the two people
who are most often seen
1415
01:24:03,247 --> 01:24:05,049
at the center of it
are two people
1416
01:24:05,116 --> 01:24:07,985
that we know very,
very little about.
1417
01:24:08,086 --> 01:24:12,390
Sarah Page left
the day after the massacre.
1418
01:24:12,457 --> 01:24:14,125
She left town
and never came back
1419
01:24:14,225 --> 01:24:15,593
as far as we know.
1420
01:24:15,660 --> 01:24:18,729
Dick Rowland, it appears,
remained in jail
1421
01:24:18,796 --> 01:24:21,632
through the summer
and then was released.
1422
01:24:21,732 --> 01:24:24,435
In September,
the county attorney said
1423
01:24:24,502 --> 01:24:26,104
he'd received a letter
from Sarah Page
1424
01:24:26,170 --> 01:24:28,673
asking not to press charges.
1425
01:24:28,773 --> 01:24:32,810
People had really
lost interest in it.
1426
01:24:32,910 --> 01:24:35,146
- No white person's
ever held accountable
1427
01:24:35,246 --> 01:24:39,951
for the some 100 to 300 deaths
that we believe occurred, uh,
1428
01:24:40,017 --> 01:24:42,019
during the massacre.
1429
01:24:45,656 --> 01:24:47,959
- I've never spoken to
a white Tulsan
1430
01:24:48,025 --> 01:24:50,528
who would admit to be
a member of the mob
1431
01:24:50,628 --> 01:24:51,429
during the riot.
1432
01:24:51,496 --> 01:24:53,030
And one reason is simply this:
1433
01:24:53,131 --> 01:24:55,666
there's no statute
of limitations on murder.
1434
01:24:55,766 --> 01:24:59,036
These homicides have now entered
the historic realm,
1435
01:24:59,137 --> 01:25:00,872
they can no longer
be prosecuted,
1436
01:25:00,972 --> 01:25:03,274
there's no one left
to prosecute.
1437
01:25:07,979 --> 01:25:12,717
{\an8}- The massacre destroyed
the superstructure,
1438
01:25:12,817 --> 01:25:16,621
{\an8}but miraculously
the basement survived.
1439
01:25:22,827 --> 01:25:27,498
This is a picture
of the basement.
1440
01:25:27,565 --> 01:25:30,468
So this picture was taken
August 1921,
1441
01:25:30,535 --> 01:25:34,138
and the massacre happened
May 31st through June 1st.
1442
01:25:34,205 --> 01:25:35,806
People came and hid
in our basement
1443
01:25:35,873 --> 01:25:36,841
during the massacre.
1444
01:25:36,908 --> 01:25:39,977
You see ashes
above every window piece
1445
01:25:40,044 --> 01:25:43,080
except the back window.
1446
01:25:45,650 --> 01:25:49,020
So this is the space
where that window frame
1447
01:25:49,086 --> 01:25:51,989
that we saw
that had no ash on top of it,
1448
01:25:52,056 --> 01:25:53,191
it's still right there.
1449
01:25:53,257 --> 01:25:56,227
If you can imagine people
being in this room
1450
01:25:56,327 --> 01:25:59,997
not knowing if the fire
would somehow come through
1451
01:26:00,064 --> 01:26:01,699
or come from above,
1452
01:26:01,766 --> 01:26:06,938
but they managed to survive
in this space.
1453
01:26:09,006 --> 01:26:12,777
When I learn about bodies
being dumped in mass graves
1454
01:26:12,877 --> 01:26:16,080
and not ever receiving
a proper burial,
1455
01:26:16,180 --> 01:26:18,683
that touched me as a pastor
on a visceral level.
1456
01:26:20,218 --> 01:26:30,194
♪♪
1457
01:26:30,261 --> 01:26:35,399
As a pastor,
when you bury somebody
1458
01:26:35,466 --> 01:26:38,903
it's more than just
giving a eulogy.
1459
01:26:38,970 --> 01:26:41,872
When we do what we call
the committal,
1460
01:26:41,939 --> 01:26:45,476
which is that ashes to ashes,
that dust to dust
1461
01:26:45,576 --> 01:26:47,378
over their bodies,
1462
01:26:47,445 --> 01:26:52,083
that is our way of
spiritually releasing them
1463
01:26:52,149 --> 01:26:57,388
to go wherever
they're going.
1464
01:26:59,824 --> 01:27:06,998
And to deny that to the people
that were dumped or killed
1465
01:27:07,098 --> 01:27:10,901
during the race massacre
is evil!
1466
01:27:12,103 --> 01:27:15,273
It shows you that
at that time period
1467
01:27:15,339 --> 01:27:18,843
people didn't even care about
the souls of Black folks,
1468
01:27:18,943 --> 01:27:22,313
let alone their bodies.
1469
01:27:22,413 --> 01:27:26,484
I believe there is
no expiration date on morality,
1470
01:27:26,584 --> 01:27:29,020
and if it was wrong in 1921
1471
01:27:29,120 --> 01:27:32,423
and that it has not
been repaired for today,
1472
01:27:32,490 --> 01:27:35,526
then we ought to
do something about it.
1473
01:27:41,666 --> 01:27:45,770
- One of the most basic,
I think, responsibilities
1474
01:27:45,836 --> 01:27:48,973
that a city has to
the residents who live there
1475
01:27:49,040 --> 01:27:52,209
is if you're murdered,
we'll do everything we can
1476
01:27:52,310 --> 01:27:54,378
to try to find out
what happened to you,
1477
01:27:54,478 --> 01:27:56,047
to find your remains
for your family,
1478
01:27:56,147 --> 01:27:59,617
and to render justice for you
and your family.
1479
01:28:03,154 --> 01:28:05,656
- It makes me feel, um,
1480
01:28:05,723 --> 01:28:09,060
kind of like Charlie Brown said,
"good grief."
1481
01:28:09,160 --> 01:28:13,297
{\an8}Because it's good that
we unveiled the story,
1482
01:28:13,364 --> 01:28:17,702
{\an8}but it's grief to us
as we unveil it.
1483
01:28:17,802 --> 01:28:19,236
Tell it right.
1484
01:28:19,337 --> 01:28:23,708
They took those planes
from that oil field
1485
01:28:23,808 --> 01:28:27,011
and they planned
an aerial attack,
1486
01:28:27,078 --> 01:28:29,080
and that's what
makes it different
1487
01:28:29,180 --> 01:28:33,718
from all the other
race riots in America.
1488
01:28:33,818 --> 01:28:35,519
Tell it right.
1489
01:28:35,586 --> 01:28:38,556
They bombed us,
they bombed us.
1490
01:28:40,191 --> 01:28:56,073
♪♪
1491
01:28:57,608 --> 01:28:59,410
- There's something
very spiritual
1492
01:28:59,510 --> 01:29:02,113
about this work.
1493
01:29:05,783 --> 01:29:08,052
And anybody who thinks
that this sacred ground
1494
01:29:08,119 --> 01:29:12,790
that we find ourselves on,
1495
01:29:12,890 --> 01:29:15,459
this crime scene
that we find ourselves on
1496
01:29:15,559 --> 01:29:19,897
is not gonna speak,
doesn't have the ears to hear.
1497
01:29:21,899 --> 01:29:29,373
♪♪
1498
01:29:29,440 --> 01:29:33,043
- Kavin Ross talks about
the redbirds.
1499
01:29:33,110 --> 01:29:37,481
He says that they are
the spirits of our ancestors.
1500
01:29:37,581 --> 01:29:43,154
Monday morning,
I went out to my garden,
1501
01:29:43,254 --> 01:29:46,590
and as I stepped
on my back porch,
1502
01:29:46,657 --> 01:29:52,062
I saw a whole bunch of redbirds,
and they were looking at me.
1503
01:29:55,733 --> 01:29:57,835
And I ran in here
to get my phone,
1504
01:29:57,935 --> 01:29:59,804
"Kavin, I gotta tell you
the story of what happened
1505
01:29:59,904 --> 01:30:00,805
"with the redbirds."
1506
01:30:00,905 --> 01:30:04,141
He said, "Girly, come"--
he says girly.
1507
01:30:04,241 --> 01:30:07,578
"Girly, come get your butt
down here to the cemetery."
1508
01:30:12,783 --> 01:30:17,822
Well, I knew something huge
is gonna happen from that,
1509
01:30:17,922 --> 01:30:19,657
and it did.
1510
01:30:21,292 --> 01:30:31,435
♪♪
1511
01:30:31,502 --> 01:30:34,972
- I'm here
to report an update.
1512
01:30:35,039 --> 01:30:37,508
I can confirm that
we have identified, um,
1513
01:30:37,608 --> 01:30:39,210
a large hole that
had been excavated
1514
01:30:39,310 --> 01:30:42,046
and into which
several individuals,
1515
01:30:42,146 --> 01:30:45,149
um, have been placed.
1516
01:30:45,216 --> 01:30:47,618
This constitutes
a mass grave.
1517
01:30:51,322 --> 01:30:52,990
- Tonight scientists
believe they have found
1518
01:30:53,057 --> 01:30:56,527
evidence of a mass grave
in Oklahoma.
1519
01:30:56,627 --> 01:30:58,562
- More than a year
after work had started
1520
01:30:58,662 --> 01:31:03,734
at Oaklawn Cemetery,
the team found human remains.
1521
01:31:03,834 --> 01:31:07,905
- Today is a significant moment
in the history of our city
1522
01:31:08,005 --> 01:31:12,576
in trying to do right
by the victims of this event.
1523
01:31:12,676 --> 01:31:16,013
- When I heard that
they found twelve bodies,
1524
01:31:16,080 --> 01:31:19,650
I said, "Finally! Finally!"
1525
01:31:19,717 --> 01:31:23,988
It's no longer folklore,
it's no longer a rumor,
1526
01:31:24,054 --> 01:31:27,324
it's true.
1527
01:31:27,391 --> 01:31:28,559
And that's going
just to be
1528
01:31:28,659 --> 01:31:31,061
the beginning of justice.
1529
01:31:32,263 --> 01:31:34,398
- People in this community
who've been saying
1530
01:31:34,498 --> 01:31:36,700
that bodies were dumped
in mass graves,
1531
01:31:36,767 --> 01:31:39,670
their stories
have now been vindicated.
1532
01:31:39,737 --> 01:31:42,873
Gets us one step closer
to giving their families
1533
01:31:42,940 --> 01:31:48,879
the opportunities
to have the truth be known
1534
01:31:48,946 --> 01:31:51,749
and actually give them
a proper burial.
1535
01:31:59,390 --> 01:32:01,859
- This is all part of
a-a mission
1536
01:32:01,926 --> 01:32:05,429
to get back what was lost.
1537
01:32:05,529 --> 01:32:07,798
We've lost a lot of history,
we've lost a lot of testimony,
1538
01:32:07,898 --> 01:32:09,867
we've lost a lot
of known heritage
1539
01:32:09,934 --> 01:32:11,802
that could have been
passed down
1540
01:32:11,902 --> 01:32:14,471
because it wasn't safe
to talk about for so long.
1541
01:32:18,075 --> 01:32:21,111
- Nobody said
nothing until now.
1542
01:32:21,211 --> 01:32:22,880
We're just now
talking about it.
1543
01:32:25,115 --> 01:32:27,952
- Growing up,
old folks have talked,
1544
01:32:28,052 --> 01:32:31,722
and they actually kind of hid
a lot of stuff from us.
1545
01:32:33,958 --> 01:32:36,160
- Staying quiet was
one of those ways
1546
01:32:36,260 --> 01:32:38,095
of protecting yourself.
1547
01:32:38,162 --> 01:32:39,330
It's kind of in
the back of your mind,
1548
01:32:39,430 --> 01:32:41,498
wondering
could this happen again?
1549
01:32:41,599 --> 01:32:44,234
What can I do to prevent this
from happening again
1550
01:32:44,301 --> 01:32:46,136
for my children?
1551
01:33:11,929 --> 01:33:13,998
- That is another part
of trauma,
1552
01:33:14,098 --> 01:33:16,000
the silence that it creates.
1553
01:33:16,100 --> 01:33:17,434
And while people
were murdered
1554
01:33:17,501 --> 01:33:20,871
and we need to acknowledge that
and we need to find them,
1555
01:33:20,971 --> 01:33:22,806
we also need to talk about
how they lived.
1556
01:33:22,873 --> 01:33:25,309
We need to talk about
what they built,
1557
01:33:25,376 --> 01:33:26,477
we need to talk
about what's left behind
1558
01:33:26,543 --> 01:33:27,645
and tell that story,
1559
01:33:27,711 --> 01:33:30,648
because that story
lasts for a hundred years,
1560
01:33:30,714 --> 01:33:34,985
the massacre was two days.
1561
01:33:37,054 --> 01:33:39,289
- Hut, hut.
Come on, boy.
1562
01:33:39,356 --> 01:33:43,160
Hut, hut, hut.
1563
01:33:50,234 --> 01:33:52,202
Hut.
1564
01:33:53,404 --> 01:33:56,874
People say,
"Why don't you leave here?"
1565
01:33:56,974 --> 01:33:58,876
Because the memory
of something
1566
01:33:58,976 --> 01:34:01,745
that I will never see
anywhere else is still here.
1567
01:34:03,881 --> 01:34:07,384
And these pages contain
all of the photographs
1568
01:34:07,484 --> 01:34:10,821
of my ancestors
who lived on Greenwood.
1569
01:34:12,890 --> 01:34:17,061
The memory,
we're connected to our memories.
1570
01:34:17,828 --> 01:34:20,698
Olivia Hooker,
who was a survivor,
1571
01:34:20,764 --> 01:34:23,834
was a really beautiful soul.
1572
01:34:26,837 --> 01:34:30,274
- At that night
of the massacre, Olivia Hooker,
1573
01:34:30,374 --> 01:34:34,778
who was a six-year-old girl,
saw her own home ripped apart.
1574
01:34:34,878 --> 01:34:37,214
White folks
came into her house,
1575
01:34:37,281 --> 01:34:41,185
destroyed her piano
with a hatchet,
1576
01:34:41,251 --> 01:34:45,022
and when they left,
she went over there
1577
01:34:45,089 --> 01:34:49,760
and they struck the keyboard,
and there was still sound
1578
01:34:49,860 --> 01:34:52,963
coming out of that piano.
1579
01:34:53,063 --> 01:34:55,432
That's who Greenwood is.
1580
01:34:57,968 --> 01:34:59,903
You might destroy
the outside of me,
1581
01:34:59,970 --> 01:35:02,439
you might shoot me,
you might burn me,
1582
01:35:02,539 --> 01:35:05,743
you're not gonna
destroy my soul.
1583
01:35:05,809 --> 01:35:07,811
We still got a song to sing.
1584
01:35:09,246 --> 01:35:13,217
♪♪
1585
01:35:13,283 --> 01:35:17,121
- We have these cycles
of Greenwood being built,
1586
01:35:17,221 --> 01:35:20,090
destroyed, rebuilt.
1587
01:35:20,157 --> 01:35:21,325
If you look at it
all together
1588
01:35:21,425 --> 01:35:22,993
in a 100 year journey...
1589
01:35:27,264 --> 01:35:29,166
it's a consistent
story of resilience.
1590
01:35:31,835 --> 01:35:35,405
- We are so close
to getting over this madness.
1591
01:35:35,472 --> 01:35:39,777
In time, we can go on
to be a great city
1592
01:35:39,843 --> 01:35:42,412
that we are destined to be.
1593
01:35:43,614 --> 01:35:48,986
- There's a resilience
that our people have.
1594
01:35:49,086 --> 01:35:55,092
The people here in Tulsa
have kept the story alive.
1595
01:35:57,795 --> 01:36:02,466
We know with our people,
it's never the end.
1596
01:36:02,533 --> 01:36:21,218
♪♪
1597
01:36:21,318 --> 01:36:26,790
{\an8}- My dreams of
what Greenwood should look like,
1598
01:36:26,857 --> 01:36:29,960
{\an8}it should look like us.
1599
01:36:30,027 --> 01:36:33,363
{\an8}- My hope for Greenwood
is that she can become
1600
01:36:33,463 --> 01:36:34,665
{\an8}back what she used to be.
1601
01:36:35,666 --> 01:36:37,401
{\an8}- I wish Greenwood
would be healed.
1602
01:36:37,901 --> 01:36:40,003
{\an8}A lot of stuff
was buried deep.
1603
01:36:40,070 --> 01:36:40,237
{\an8}- My dream is to have
a replicate
1604
01:36:42,906 --> 01:36:44,842
{\an8}of what we had in 1921
1605
01:36:44,908 --> 01:36:47,244
{\an8}with all
the Black businesses,
1606
01:36:47,344 --> 01:36:48,078
{\an8}everybody supporting each other.
1607
01:36:50,380 --> 01:36:54,384
{\an8}- We are the youngest
business owners on Greenwood.
1608
01:36:54,484 --> 01:36:56,854
{\an8}I would like to see
young people, you know,
1609
01:36:56,920 --> 01:36:59,022
{\an8}rebuilding
Black Wall Street.
1610
01:36:59,089 --> 01:37:01,325
{\an8}- Let there be
some type of closure
1611
01:37:01,391 --> 01:37:04,761
{\an8}and some type of life back here
that we're enjoying.
1612
01:37:04,862 --> 01:37:07,097
{\an8}- We need to reclaim
what was ours
1613
01:37:07,197 --> 01:37:09,066
{\an8}from the beginning.
1614
01:37:09,166 --> 01:37:11,368
{\an8}Our people built
Black Wall Street
1615
01:37:11,435 --> 01:37:13,237
{\an8}by hard work and dedication,
1616
01:37:13,337 --> 01:37:15,839
{\an8}we did it one time,
we can do it again.
1617
01:37:15,906 --> 01:37:18,075
{\an8}- Greenwood can be that again,
1618
01:37:18,175 --> 01:37:20,777
{\an8}we can be
all that we wanna be.