The Tulsa Massacre

The single worst incident of violence in American History

As I am writing this, the blood of the free citizens of the US is boiling looking at the aftermath of the non-violent protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. The incident re-ignited the #BlackLivesMatter movement across the US, the ripples of which can be seen in active voices against racism and police brutality in the entire world. However, are you aware of one of worst ever racial violence incidents that took place in the US in 1921? It is not a particularly discussed incident, but remnants of it are again at the forefront due to the ongoing movement. While the number of deaths account to an estimated 300, the exact numbers are skewed due to the following cover up and bad coverage of the incident.

A prosperous African-American community resided in the Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma wherein groups led by white residents went on a spree of murder, arson and looting. In fact, the settlement was so well off and prosperous economically that it was termed as the ‘Black Wall Street’. We are not glorifying the attachment of the world black to the term, however, this is indicative of the economic wellness of residents of the black community. This created a huge amount of resentment in the white residents of Greenwood. The white supremacist group ‘Ku Klux Clan’ saw resurgence during this period. The reason for the outrageous incident? Fear, an unwarranted fear and a false apprehension that Black prosperity is a threat to the existent white supremacy. Essentially, the incident was borne out of racial jealousy.

The incident was fuelled by one alleged specific incident. Dick Rowland, a Black shoe shiner was accused of attempting to sexually assault Sarah Page, a minor and a white elevator operator. There was a lynching attempt on Rowland, which was defended by a group of Black men. Seeing this, a group of approximately 1500 white supremacists went to the Black neighbourhoods in Greenwood and wreaked havoc on the community. However, the accusation itself seemed without backing as back in the day, multiple newspapers described the accusation in their own version of exaggeration and by all means, nobody knows if the accusation had any figment of truth attached to it or not. Rowland was arrested on the suspicion of attempting an assault.

The attempt by the white supremacist mob to destroy the black community was assisted by the law enforcement which provided ammunition to white civilians, sources and eye-witnesses say. Some survivors even claimed that planes were used to drop bombs on houses belonging to the black community. In the aftermath, there was a brief official inquiry, and the incident completely disappeared from the books and the news.

It was only much later in 1997 that a Tulsa Riot Commission was formed by the Oklahoma State to investigate and formally document the incident. The Commission decided that the State should pay 33 million USD in restitution money, some of it to the surviving victims. However, it is appalling that no legislative action was taken and the Commission had no teeth as it was merely a fact-finding setup. Times are changing, and people are becoming more conscious against racism, but such an incident is forever etched as a blot on the history of the US. #BlackLivesMatter

Image credits: theblackwallsttimes

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