SUTTON Travels: African-American Heritage

01 February 2022

Black Wall Street, Greenwood District Tulsa Oklahoma

Black Wall Street is the name given to the prosperous community of African Americans in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 1900s. There were stores, theaters, restaurants, and the offices of professionals--lawyers, doctors, dentists.

The wall mural pictured above, reflects the past.

Today, as my wife and I walked along the sidewalk, we read signs telling us of the horrific destruction of so many people who lived here along with the buildings where they lived and worked.

The sign below refers to the 1921 massacre.

White terrorists attacked.
At least 36 Black people were killed.
And 36 city blocks were destroyed--
10,000 Black Americans were displaced.

The 1921 Tulsa Massacre was the worst race massacre in American history.

Signs embedded in the sidewalk preserve the identity of people and businesses.

There's an AME church where people worship. The church history dates to 1905 and it is the only building that survived the 1921 assault. The current building site was purchased in 1908. It was rebuilt following the massacre. And, it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Near the church, another artist reminds us of the 1921 horror.

Nowadays, there are restaurants, shops, and businesses in the area. And you can visit a museum.

Learn more

Greenwood Cultural Center

Link to Google Street View

Related books

18 January 2021

African-American History in Springfield Missouri USA

Washington Ave. Baptist Church

Washington Avenue Baptist Church was built in 1885 for a congregation that was formed in 1867, two years after the Civil War ended. Rev. J.S. Dorsey was the pastor in 1906 when the lynching took place in Springfield's Square (see below). The current building was moved 200 feet from it's original location. It is now at 900 North Benton Ave, Springfield. See Drury page.

Benton Ave. AME Church, Springfield MO

Benton Avenue AME Church is an African Methodist Episcopal Church built between 1922 and 1926. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. When membership declined, it closed in 2014 (News-Leader). The congregation was founded in 1867. The current site was purchased in 1877.

In 1954, Rev. Oliver L. Brown was the pastor. He is the "Brown" named in the Supreme Court case commonly known as "Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." The Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.

Pitts Chapel, Springfield MO

Down by the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge is Pitts Chapel, which has an active congregation.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge Sign

I went south to the square where the city proudly displays its historic Route 66 Marker. But there's another sign that tells the horrific history of the lynching of three Black Men in 1906.