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Feb 18, 2020 · 6 myths about the history of Black people in America. Six historians weigh in on the biggest misconceptions about Black history, including the Tuskegee experiment and enslaved people’s...
Feb 23, 2024 · “Unbowed by the forces of hate and undaunted as they fought for centuries against slavery, segregation and injustice, Black Americans have held a mirror up to our nation, allowing our country...
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- HISTORY Vault: The Night Tulsa Burned
Historic images of Tulsa, Oklahoma's Greenwood district reveal how the 1921 mob attack devastated the nation's Black cultural and economic mecca.
At the turn of the 20th century, African Americans founded and developed the Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Built on what had formerly been Indian Territory, the community grew and flourished as a Black economic and cultural mecca—until May 31, 1921.
That's when a white mob began a rampage through some 35 square blocks, decimating the community known proudly as "Black Wall Street." Armed rioters, many deputized by local police, looted and burned down businesses, homes, schools, churches, a hospital, hotel, public library, newspaper offices and more. While the official death toll of the Tulsa race massacre was 36, historians estimate it may have been as high as 300. As many as 10,000 people were left homeless.
The incident stands as one most horrific acts of racial violence, and domestic terrorism, ever committed on American soil.
More to History: Tulsa Race Massacre
In May 2021, 100 years after the massacre, 107-year-old Viola Fletcher testified before Congress: “On May 31, of ‘21, I went to bed in my family’s home in Greenwood," she recounted. “The neighborhood I fell asleep in that night was rich, not just in terms of wealth, but in culture…and heritage. My family had a beautiful home. We had great neighbors. I had friends to play with. I felt safe. I had everything a child could need. I had a bright future.”
By 1921, Tulsa’s Greenwood area was one of America's most affluent all-Black communities. But on June 1, in what became known as the Tulsa Race Massacre, white mobs set it on fire, destroying homes and businesses and leaving dozens dead.
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- Missy Sullivan
This month historian Michael Flamm roots our current debate over police violence, racial discrimination and mass incarceration in the “War on Crime” declared by President Lyndon Johnson fifty years ago this year.
When nine black-robed Supreme Court judges sat down behind their mahogany bench on spring day in 1954 and declared that a separate system of schools for blacks and whites was not really equal...
Jan 14, 2010 · Today, Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society—from activists and civil rights pioneers such as...
Feb 26, 2022 · Why does Black History Month Matter? There is an ongoing debate as to whether U.S. history segregates Black history in February or whether Black History Month brings forward...
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