We need to do it again now!!!
>
> Subject: Please read....
>
> This is a story that is worth researching. It's not as long as it
look
> but
> very very enlightening. PLEASE read on.
>
> >> >> BLACK WALLSTREET
> >> >>
> >> >> If anyone truly believes that the last April
> >> >> attack on the federal
> >> >> building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was
> >> >> the most tragic bombing ever to
> >> >> take place on United States soil, as the
> >> >> media has been widely
> >> >> reporting, they're wrong-plain and simple.
> >> >> That's because an even
> >> >> deadlier bomb occurred in that same state
> >> >> nearly 75 years ago. Many
> >> >> people in high places would like to forget
> >> >> that it ever happened.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Searching under the heading of "Riots,"
> >> >> "Oklahoma" and "Tulsa" in
> >> >> current editions of The World Book
> >> >> Encyclopedia, there is conspicuously
> >> >> no mention whatsoever of the Tulsa race
> >> >> riot of 1921, and this omission
> >> >> is by no means a surprise, or a rare case.
> >> >> The fact is, one would also
> >> >> be hard-pressed to find documentation of
> >> >> the incident, let alone and
> >> >> accurate accounting of it , in any other
> >> >> "scholarly" reference or
> >> >> American history book.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> That's precisely the point that noted
> >> >> author, publisher and orator Ron
> >> >> Wallace, a Tulsa native, sought to make
> >> >> nearly five years ago when he
> >> >> began researching this riot, one of the
> >> >> worst incidents of violence ever
> >> >> visited upon people of African decent.
> >> >> Ultimately joined on the project
> >> >> by college Jay Jay Wilson of Los Angeles,
> >> >> the duo found and compiled
> >> >> indisputable evidence of what they now
> >> >> describe as "A Black Holocaust in
> >> >> America."
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The date was June 1, 1921, when "Black
> >> >> Wallstreet," the name fittingly
> >> >> given to one of the most affluent all-Black
> >> >> communities in America, was
> >> >> bombed from the air and burned to the
> >> >> ground by mobs of envious whites.
> >> >> In a period spanning fewer than 12 hours,
> >> >> a once thriving 36-Black
> >> >> business district in northern Tulsa lay
> >> >> smoldering-A model community
> >> >> destroyed, and a major African-American
> >> >> economic movement resoundingly
> >> >> defused.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The nights carnage left some 3,000 African
> >> >> Americans dead, and over 600
> >> >> successful businesses lost. Among these
> >> >> were 21 churches, 21
> >> >> restaurants, 30 grocery stores and two
> >> >> movie theaters, plus a hospital,
> >> >> a bank, a post office, libraries, schools, law
> >> >> offices, a half dozen
> >> >> private airplanes and even a bus system.
> >> >> As could have been expected the
> >> >> impetus behind it all was the infamous Ku
> >> >> Klux Klan, working in consort
> >> >> with ranking city officials, and many other
> >> >> sympathizers.
> >> >>
> >> >> In their self-published book, Black
> >> >> Wallstreet: A Lost Dream, and its
> >> >> companion video documentary, Black
> >> >> Wallstreet: A Black Holocaust in
> >> >> America!, the authors have chronicled for
> >> >> the very first time in the
> >> >> words of area historians and elderly
> >> >> survivors what really happened
> >> >> there on that fateful summer day in 1921
> >> >> and why it happened. Wallace
> >> >> similarly explained to BE why this bloody
> >> >> event from the turn of the
> >> >> century seems to have had a recurring
> >> >> effect that is being felt in
> >> >> predominately Black neighborhoods even
> >> >> to this day.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The best description of Black Wallstreet,
> >> >> or Little Africa as it was
> >> >> also known, would be liken it to a
> >> >> mini-Beverly Hills. It was the golden
> >> >> door of the Black community during the
> >> >> early 1900s, and it proved that
> >> >> African Americans had successful
> >> >> infrastructure. That's what Black
> >> >> Wallstreet was all about.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The dollar circulated 36 to 100 times,
> >> >> sometimes taking a year for
> >> >> currency to leave the community. Now in
> >> >> 1995, a dollar leaves the Black
> >> >> community in 15-minutes. As far as
> >> >> resources, there were Ph.D.'s
> >> >> residing in Little Africa, Black attorneys
> >> >> and doctors. One doctor was
> >> >> Dr. Berry who owned the bus system. His
> >> >> average income was $500 a day,
> >> >> hefty pocket change in 1910.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> During that era, physicians owned
> >> >> medical schools. There were also pawn
> >> >> shops everywhere, brothels, jewelry stores,
> >> >> 21 churches, 21 restaurants
> >> >> and two movie theaters. It was a time
> >> >> when the entire state of Oklahoma
> >> >> has only two airports, yet six Blacks
> >> >> owned their own planes. It was a
> >> >> very fascinating community.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The area encompassed over 600
> >> >> businesses and 36 square blocks with a
> >> >> population of 15,000 African Americans.
> >> >> And when the lower-economic
> >> >> Europeans looked over and saw what the
> >> >> Black community created, many of
> >> >> them were jealous. When the average
> >> >> student went to school on Black Wallstreet, he
wore a
> >>suit and tie
> >> >> because
> >> >> of the morals and respect
> >> >> they were taught at a young age.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The mainstay of the community was to
> >> >> educate every child. Nepotism was
> >> >> the one word they believed in. And that's
> >> >> what we need to get back to in
> >> >> 1995. The main thoroughfare was
> >> >> Greenwood Avenue, and it was intersected
> >> >> by Archer and Pine Streets. From the first
> >> >> letters in each of those
> >> >> three names, you get G.A.P., and that's
> >> >> where the renowned R and B music
> >> >> group The Gap Band got its name.
> >> >> They're from Tulsa.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Black Wallstreet was a prime example of
> >> >> the typical. Black community in
> >> >> America that did businesses, but it was in
> >> >> an unusual location. You see,
> >> >> at the time, Oklahoma was set aside to be
> >> >> a Black and Indian state.
> >> >> There were over 28 Black townships there.
> >> >> One third of the people who
> >> >> traveled in the terrifying "Trail of Tears"
> >> >> along side the Indians
> >> >> between 1830 to 1842 were Black people.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The citizens of this proposed Indian and
> >> >> Black state chose a Black
> >> >> governor, a treasurer from Kansas named
> >> >> McDade. But the Ku Klux Klan
> >> >> said that if he assumed office that they
> >> >> would kill him within 48 hours.
> >> >> A lot of Blacks owned farmland, and many
> >> >> of them had gone into the oil
> >> >> business. The community was so tight and
> >> >> wealthy because they traded
> >> >> dollars hand-to-hand, and because they
> >> >> were dependent upon one another
> >> >> as a result of the Jim Crow laws.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> It was not unusual that if a resident's
> >> >> home accidentally burned down,
> >> >> it could be rebuilt within a few weeks by
> >> >> neighbors. This was the type
> >> >> of scenario that was going on day- to-day
> >> >> on Black Wallstreet. When
> >> >> Blacks intermarried into the Indian
> >> >> culture, some of them received their
> >> >> promised '40 Acres and A Mule' and with
> >> >> that came whatever oil was later
> >> >> found on the properties.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Just to show you how wealthy a lot of
> >> >> Black people were, there was a
> >> >> banker in the neighboring town who had a
> >> >> wife named California Taylor.
> >> >> Her father owned the largest cotton gin
> >> >> west of the Mississippi [River].
> >> >> When California shopped, she would take
> >> >> a cruise to Paris every three
> >> >> months to have her clothes made.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> There was also a man named Mason in
> >> >> nearby Wagner County who had the
> >> >> largest potato farm west of the Mississippi.
> >> >> When he harvested, he would
> >> >> fill 100 boxcars a day. Another brother not
> >> >> far away had the same thing
> >> >> with a spinach farm. The typical family
> >> >> then was five children or more,
> >> >> though the typical farm family would have
> >> >> 10 kids or more who made up
> >> >> the nucleus of the labor.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> On Black Wallstreet, a lot of global
> >> >> business was conducted. The
> >> >> community flourished from the early 1900s
> >> >> until June 1, 1921. That's
> >> >> when the largest massacre of non-military
> >> >> Americans in the history of
> >> >> this country took place, and it was lead by
> >> >> the Ku Klux Klan. Imagine
> >> >> walking out of your front door and seeing
> >> >> 1,500 homes being burned. It
> >> >> must have been amazing.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Survivors we interviewed think that the
> >> >> whole thing was planned because
> >> >> during the time that all of this was going
> >> >> on, white families with their
> >> >> children stood around the borders of their
> >> >> community and watched the
> >> >> massacre, the looting and
> >> >> everything-much in the same manner
> >> >> they would
> >> >> watch a lynching.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> In my lectures I ask people if they
> >> >> understand where the word "picnic"
> >> >> comes from. It was typical to have a picnic
> >> >> on a Friday evening in
> >> >> Oklahoma. The word was short for "pick a
> >> >> nigger" to lynch. They would
> >> >> lynch a Black male and cut off body parts
> >> >> as souvenirs. This went on
> >> >> every weekend in this country, and it was
> >> >> all across the county. That's
> >> >> where the term really came from.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The riots weren't caused by anything
> >> >> Black or white. It was caused by
> >> >> jealousy. A lot of white folks had come
> >> >> back from World War I and they
> >> >> were poor. When they looked over into the
> >> >> Black communities and realized
> >> >> that Black men who fought in the war had
> >> >> come home heroes that helped
> >> >> trigger the destruction.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> It cost the Black community everything,
> >> >> and not a single dime of
> >> >> restitution-no insurance claims-has been
> >> >> awarded the victims to this
> >> >> day. Nonetheless, they rebuilt. We
> >> >> estimate, that 1,500 to 3,000 people
> >> >> were killed and we know that a lot of them
> >> >> were buried in mass graves
> >> >> all around the city. Some were thrown into
> >> >> the river. As a matter of
> >> >> fact, at 21st Street and Yale Avenue, where
> >> >> there now stands a Sears
> >> >> parking lot, that corner used to be a coal
> >> >> mine. They threw a lot of the
> >> >> bodies into the shafts.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Black Americans don't know about this
> >> >> story because we don't apply the
> >> >> word holocaust to our struggle. Jewish
> >> >> people use the word holocaust all
> >> >> the time. White people use the word
> >> >> holocaust. It's politically correct
> >> >> to use it. But we Black folks use the word,
> >> >> people think we're being cry
> >> >> babies or that we're trying to bring up old
> >> >> issues. No one comes to our
> >> >> support.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> In 1910, our forefathers and mothers
> >> >> owned 13 million acres of land at
> >> >> the height of racism in this country, so the
> >> >> Black Wallstreet book and
> >> >> videotape prove to the naysayers and
> >> >> revisionists that we had our act
> >> >> together. Our mandate now is to begin to
> >> >> teach our children about out
> >> >> own, ongoing Black holocaust. They have
> >> >> to know when they look at our
> >> >> communities today that we don't come
> >> >> from this.
>
> Kimela Lindsay -Administrative Assistant
> Department of Graphic Design,
> Department of Industrial Design,
> and Office of Student Affairs
> NCSU School of Design
> Box 7701, Raleigh, NC 27695-7701
> (919) 515-8322 - (919) 515-7330 fax
>
> >>
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