Tulsa Race Massacre Research Paper

The Tulsa Race Massacre was a two day long race massacre, which took place from May 31st to June 1st 1921, that occurred in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Greenwood district during 1921 was a prosperous African American community in Tulsa that was often referred to as Black Wall Street. A young man, by the name of Dick Rowland, apparently stumbled up against a white woman in an elevator and from there false assault accusations formed against Rowland (secondary). Rowland was arrested and awaiting trial when a misleading article from the Tulsa Tribune continued to stir up accusations of assault. White mobs along with African American mobs formed around the courthouse where Rowland was being held and the overriding tensions eventually led to the beginning of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The Tulsa Race Massacre

In an interview with a survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Kinney Booker, gave greater insight to the race relations beforehand. Booker’s father was an intelligent man who worked for a white oilman in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When Booker’s father was asked to fix something, his boss would say to him “Hood, do something with it” (Booker). Rather than using his real name, the white man refers to him as “Hood,” typically when you are speaking with someone you have respect for, their name is used to address them. Something as little as not using a persons name to address them shows the lack of respect and even dehumanization. It revealed that white people at the time didn’t see African Americans as equal to them. Booker also stated that “America did not nurture its black citizens” (Booker). The Tulsa Race Massacre was one of the most brutal and destructive riots in the history of the United States. The massacre destroyed nearly all property and businesses owned by African Americans and resulted in the deaths of numerous individuals