BLACK WALLSTREET Please pass this on to the Iota Family.
It's an important part of history that every Black person should know, if they don't know already. Ron Wallace: co-author of Black Wallstreet: !ost "ream #hronicles a little-known chapter of frican- merican $istory in %klahoma as told to &onald '. #hilds. If anyone truly (elieves that the last pril attack on the federal (uildin) in %klahoma #ity, %klahoma, was the most tra)ic (om(in) ever to take place on *nited +tates soil, as the media has (een widely reportin), they're wron)-plain and simple. ,hat's (ecause an even deadlier (om( occurred in that same state nearly -. years a)o. /any people in hi)h places would like to for)et that it ever happened. +earchin) under the headin) of 0riots,0 0%klahoma0 and 0,ulsa0 in current editions of the World Book 'ncyclopedia, there is conspicuously no mention whatsoever of the ,ulsa race riot of 1231, and this omission is (y no means a surprise, or a rare case. ,he fact is, one would also (e hard-pressed to find documentation of the incident, let alone an accurate accountin) of it, in any other 0scholarly0 reference or merican history (ook. ,hat's precisely the point that noted author, pu(lisher and orator &on Wallace, a ,ulsa native, sou)ht to make nearly five years a)o when he (e)an researchin) this riot, one of the worst incidents of violence ever visited upon people of frican descent. *ltimately 4oined on the pro4ect (y collea)ue 5ay 5ay Wilson of !os n)eles, the duo found and compiled indisputa(le evidence of what they now descri(e as 0 Black $olocaust in merica.0 ,he date was 5une 1, 1231, when 0Black Wallstreet,0 the name fittin)ly )iven to one of the most affluent all-(lack communities in merica, was (om(ed from the air and (urned to the )round (y mo(s of envious whites. In a period spannin) fewer than 13 hours, a once thrivin) 67-(lack (usiness district in northern ,ulsa lay smolderin)- model community destroyed, and a ma4or frica- merican economic movement resoundin)ly defused. ,he ni)ht's carna)e left some 6,888 frican mericans dead, and over 788 successful (usinesses lost. mon) these were 31 churches, 31 restaurants, 68 )rocery stores and two movie theaters, plus a hospital, a (ank, a post office, li(raries, schools, law offices, a halfdo9en private airplanes and even a (us system. s could (e e:pected, the impetus (ehind it all was the infamous ;u ;lu: ;lan, workin) in consort with rankin) city officials, and many other sympathi9ers. In their self-pu(lished (ook, Black Wallstreet: lost "ream, and its companion video documentary, Black Wallstreet: Black $olocaust in merica<, the authors have chronicled for the very first time in the words of area historians and elderly survivors what really happened there on that fateful summer day in 1231 and why it happened. Wallace similarly e:plained to Black 'le)ance why this (loody event from the turn of the century seems to have had a recurrin) effect that is (ein) felt in predominately Black nei)h(orhoods even to this day. ,he (est description of Black Wallstreet, or !ittle frica as it was also known, would (e to liken it to a mini-Beverly $ills. It was the )olden door of the Black community durin) the early 1288s, and it proved that frican mericans had successful infrastructure. ,hat's what Black Wallstreet was a(out. The dollar circulated 36 to 1000 times, sometimes taking a year for currency to leave the community. Now in 1995, a dollar leaves the Blac co!!"nit# in 15 !in"tes. As
$ar as reso"rces, there were %h.&'s residin( in Little A$rica, Blac attorne#s and doctors. )ne doctor was &r. Berr# who also owned the *"s s#ste!. +is avera(e inco!e was ,5-- a da#, a he$t# .oc et o$ chan(e in 191-. &"rin( that era, .h#sicians owned !edical schools. There were also .awn sho.s ever#where, *rothels, /ewelr# stores, 01 ch"rches, 01 resta"rants and two !ovie theaters. 1t was a ti!e when the entire state o$ ) laho!a had onl# two air.orts, #et si2 *lac s owned their own .lanes. 1t was a ver# $ascinatin( co!!"nit#. The area enco!.assed over 3-*"sinesses and 43 s5"are *loc s with a .o."lation o$ 15,--- A$rican A!ericans. And when the lower6econo!ic E"ro.eans loo ed over and saw what the Blac co!!"nit# created, !an# o$ the! were /ealo"s. When the average student went to school on Black Wallstreet, he wore a suit and tie because of the morals and respect they were taught at a young age. The !ainsta# o$ the co!!"nit# was to ed"cate ever# child. Ne.otis! was the one word the# *elieved in. And that's what we need to (et *ac to in 1995. The !ain thoro"(h$are was 7reenwood Aven"e, and it was intersected *# Archer and %ine Streets. 8ro! the $irst letters in each o$ those na!es, #o" (et 7.A.%., and that's where the renowned R9B !"sic (ro". The 7A% Band (ot its na!e. The#'re $ro! T"lsa. Blac Wallstreet was a .ri!e e2a!.le o$ the t#.ical Blac co!!"nit# in A!erica that did *"siness, *"t it was in an "n"s"al location. :o" see, at the ti!e, ) laho!a was set aside to *e a Blac and 1ndian state. There were over 0; Blac townshi.s there. )ne third o$ the .eo.le who traveled in the terri$#in( <Trail o$ Tears< alon( side the 1ndians *etween 1;4- to 1;=0 were Blac .eo.le. The citi>ens o$ this .ro.osed 1ndian and Blac state chose a Blac (overnor, a treas"rer $ro! Kansas na!ed ?c&ade. B"t the K" Kl"2 Klan said that i$ he ass"!ed o$$ice that the# wo"ld ill hi! within =; ho"rs. A lot o$ Blac s owned $ar!land, and !an# o$ the! had (one into the oil *"siness. The co!!"nit# was so ti(ht and wealth# *eca"se the# traded dollars hand6to6hand, and *eca"se the# were de.endent ".on one another as a res"lt o$ the @i! Crow laws. 1t was not "n"s"al that i$ a resident's ho!e accidentall# *"rned down, it co"ld *e re*"ilt within a $ew wee s *# nei(h*ors. This was the t#.e o$ scenario that was (oin( on da#6to6da# on Blac Wallstreet. When Blac s inter!arried into the 1ndian c"lt"re, so!e o$ the! received their .ro!ised '=- acres and a ?"le,' and with that ca!e whatever oil was later $o"nd on the .ro.erties. @"st to show #o" how wealth# a lot o$ Blac .eo.le were, there was a *an er in a nei(h*orin( town who had a wi$e na!ed Cali$ornia Ta#lor. +er $ather owned the lar(est cotton (in west o$ the ?ississi..i ARiverB. When Cali$ornia sho..ed, she wo"ld ta e a cr"ise to %aris ever# three !onths to have her clothes !ade. There was also a !an na!ed ?ason in near*# Wa(ner Co"nt# who had the lar(est .otato $ar! west o$ the ?ississi..i. When he harvested, he wo"ld $ill 1-- *o2cars a da#. Another *rother not $ar awa# had the sa!e thin( with a s.inach $ar!. The t#.ical $a!il# then was $ive children or !ore, tho"(h the t#.ical $ar! $a!il# wo"ld have 1ids or !ore who !ade ". the n"cle"s o$ the la*or.
)n Blac Wallstreet, a lot o$ (lo*al *"siness was cond"cted. The co!!"nit# $lo"rished $ro! the earl# 19--s "ntil @"ne 1, 1901. ,hat's when the lar)est massacre of non-military mericans in the history of this country took place, and it was lead (y the ;u ;lu: ;lan. Ima)ine walkin) out of your front door and seein) 1,.88 homes (ein) (urned. It must have (een ama9in). +urvivors we interviewed think that the whole thin) was planned (ecause durin) the time that all of this was )oin) on, white families with their children stood around on the (orders of the community and watched the massacre, the lootin) and everythin)---much in the same manner they would watch a lynchin). In my lectures I ask people if they understand where the word 0picnic0 comes from. It was typical to have a picnic on a Friday evenin) in %klahoma. The word was short $or <.ic a ni((er< to l#nch. The# wo"ld l#nch a Blac !ale and c"t o$$ *od# .arts as so"venirs. This went on ever# wee end in this co"ntr#. That's where the ter! reall# ca!e $ro!. The riots weren't ca"sed *# an#thin( Blac or white. 1t was ca"sed *# /ealo"s#. A lot o$ white $ol s had co!e *ac $ro! World War 1 and the# were .oor. When the# loo ed over into the Blac co!!"nities and reali>ed that Blac !en who $o"(ht in the war had co!e ho!e heroes that hel.ed tri((er the destr"ction. t cost the Black community everything, and not a single dime of restitution!!!no insurance claims!has been awarded to the victims to this day. =onetheless, they re(uilt. We estimate that 1,.88 to 6,888 people were killed, and we know that a lot of them were (uried in mass )raves all around the city. +ome were thrown in the river. s a matter of fact, at 31st +treet and >ale venue, where there now stands a +ears parkin) lot, that corner used to (e a coal mine. ,hey threw a lot of the (odies into the shafts. Black mericans don't know a(out this story (ecause we don't apply the word holocaust to our stru))le. 5ewish people use the word holocaust all the time. White people use the word holocaust. It's politically correct to use it. But when we Black folks use the word, people think we're (ein) cry (a(ies or that we're tryin) to (rin) up old issues. =o one comes to our support. 1n 191-, o"r $ore$athers and !others owned 14 !illion acres o$ land at the hei(ht o$ racis! in this co"ntr#, so the Blac Wallstreet *oo and videota.e .rove to the na#sa#ers and revisionists that we had o"r act to(ether. )"r !andate now is to *e(in to teach o"r children a*o"t o"r own, on(oin( Blac holoca"st. The# have to now when the# loo at o"r co!!"nities toda# that we don't co!e $ro! this. ,o order a copy of Black Wallstreet, contact: "uralon 'ntertainment, Inc., P.%. Bo: 3-83, ,ulsa, %klahoma -?1?2 or call 1-@88-7@3--2-. Black Wallstreet: lost "ream A31.2. I+B= 1-@@3?7.-88-@ Black Wallstreet: Black $olocaust in merica< video A32.2.
