PHOTOS: The Tulsa race massacre 100 years ago
Remembering the riot that destroyed “Black Wall Street”
Outside the Tulsa Convention Hall on June 1, 1921 Associated Press/University of Tulsa McFarlin Library Special Collections
Officially, 36 people died in the attack on the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Okla., on May 31 and June 1, 1921. But historians and scholars agree the city vastly underestimated the actual death count, which could range from 75 to 300.
White vigilantes burned and destroyed 35 city blocks that held 191 businesses and roughly 10,000 African American residents. The neighborhood, known as “Black Wall Street,” bustled with grocery stores, cafes, rooming houses, and a movie theater. The destruction of property and businesses affected the prosperity of African Americans in Tulsa for generations.
On May 31, a mob of white people gathered outside the Tulsa jail, where police held a black 19-year-old accused of assaulting a 17-year-old white girl. Concerned the mob would kidnap and lynch the suspect, two dozen armed black men went to the jail, too. The groups clashed, and the violence spread. Over 18 hours, white people carried out a scorched-earth campaign against Greenwood. Here are photos of the historic day and efforts to commemorate it.
Two armed men walk away from burning buildings in Tulsa on June 1, 1921. Associated Press/University of Tulsa McFarlin Library Department of Special Collections
A photo believed to have been taken in Tulsa before the race massacre in 1921 Associated Press/University of Tulsa McFarlin Library Department of Special Collections
The ruins of Dunbar Elementary and the Masonic Hall in Tulsa following the 1921 race massacre Associated Press/University of Tulsa McFarlin Library Department of Special Collections
A crowd watches Mount Zion Baptist Church burn on June 1, 1921, in Tulsa. Associated Press/University of Tulsa McFarlin Library Department of Special Collections
Men march under armed guard down the street in Tulsa on June 1, 1921. Associated Press/University of Tulsa McFarlin Library Department of Special Collections
A man stands in front of the ruins of his house after an anti-black riot in Tulsa in 1921. Associated Press/University of Tulsa McFarlin Library Department of Special Collections
Tulsa race massacre survivors Hughes Van Ellis Sr. (left), Lessie Benningfield Randle (center), and Viola Fletcher greet supporters before a march on Friday in Tulsa. Associated Press/University of Tulsa McFarlin Library Department of Special Collections
Carolyn Roberts, the daughter of a survivor of the Tulsa race massacre, looks at family photos. Associated Press/Photo by Sue Ogrocki
A sculpture commemorating the Tulsa race massacre in John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in Tulsa Associated Press/Photo by Sue Ogrocki
A man looks at a mural depicting the Tulsa race riot in the Greenwood neighborhood. Associated Press/Photo by John Locher
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