Tulsa Race Riot of 1921

You probably didn’t read about this in your high school or college history text, but 300 people were killed in a race riot in Tulsa in 1921. All were black. Thousands more were left homeless. An entire black neighborhood — which had been a thriving, prosperous area known as the “Negro Wall Street” — was destroyed.

It all started when a black man was arrested after a fight with a white person. Rumors started spreading that the man was about to be lynched, and there was a confrontation between blacks and whites in front of the jail.

After violence erupted, hundreds of white men deputized by the police department armed themselves and rampaged through the black neighborhood. The Oklahoma National Guard was called in, and they arrested every black person in sight. This left a mob of whites free to loot and burn 42 square blocks of homes, businesses, schools and churches.

The Tulsa race riot has been so little-known, most Tulsa residents aren’t even aware of it.

Since the time of the riot, more than 100 unsuccessful suits have been filed to recover damages. A grand jury actually concluded that the riot was the fault of the city’s black residents for “believing in equal rights, social equality, and their ability to demand the same.”

I guess we've had some improvement since that bleak, disgraceful chapter in our history.