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Centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre

Introduction

On May 31 and June 1, 1921, mobs of white residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma, attacked Black residents and destroyed homes and businesses in the city's Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street. The attacks from the ground and private aircraft killed an unknown number of Black people, estimated to be between 75 and 300, and injured and displaced hundreds more. The massacre was largely undiscussed in local, state, and national histories, even after a state commission on the event published its final report in 2001 but gained increased public awareness when it was featured in the HBO series Watchmen in 2019 and Lovecraft Country in 2020.

A black stone monument reading: "1921 Black Wall Street Memorial"

CC BY Wesley Fryer

Documentaries

Online Resources

Books Available at USD

*Please note that terminology regarding this event has changed over time. While "Tulsa Race Massacre" is now the accepted name of the event, it was previously common to call it the "Tulsa Race Riot." The Library of Congress recently changed it's official subject heading for library materials about the event to "Tulsa Race Massacre" but older materials may still use the older term.