Assembly Resolution No. 372
BY: M. of A. Barron
COMMEMORATING the 100th Anniversary of the
destruction of Tulsa's Black Wall Street
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
significant events that represent turning points in our distinctive
history, and which are indelibly etched in the saga of our great Nation;
and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the destruction of Tulsa's Black
Wall Street to be observed from May 31-June 1, 2021; and
WHEREAS, Those who wish to recognize and honor the people who lived
in the Greenwood District, may visit the Black Wall Street Gallery in
New York City; the gallery also serves to educate on social justice,
preserve Black history, curate Black culture, and celebrate the work of
contemporary black artists from around the world; and
WHEREAS, It has been 100 years since the destruction of Tulsa,
Oklahoma's Greenwood section, home of the most magnanimous demonstration
of Black self-determination in American history; and
WHEREAS, The Tulsa race massacre, known alternatively as the Tulsa
race riot, the Greenwood Massacre, the Black Wall Street Massacre, or
the Tulsa Massacre, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of
White residents, many of them deputized and given weapons by city
officials, attacked Black residents and businesses of the Greenwood
District; and
WHEREAS, The single worst incident of racial violence in American
history was carried out on the ground and from private aircraft,
destroying more than 35 square blocks of the district, which at that
time, was the wealthiest Black community in the United States, known as
Black Wall Street; and
WHEREAS, As a result of this tragic event, more than 800 people were
admitted to hospitals, and as many as 6,000 Black residents were
interned in large facilities, many of them for several days; the
Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Statistics officially recorded 36 dead,
however, a 2001 state commission examination of events was able to
confirm 39 dead, 26 Black and 13 White, based on contemporary autopsy
reports, death certificates and other records; and
WHEREAS, The massacre began during the Memorial Day weekend after
19-year-old Dick Rowland, a Black shoe shiner, was accused of assaulting
Sarah Page, the 17-year-old White elevator operator of the nearby Drexel
Building; after his arrest, rumors spread through the city that Dick
Rowland was to be lynched; and
WHEREAS, Upon hearing these reports, a mob of hundreds of White men
had gathered around the jail where Dick Rowland was being kept, and a
group of 75 Black men, some of whom were armed, arrived at the jail to
ensure this travesty would not happen; and
WHEREAS, The sheriff persuaded the group to leave the jail, assuring
them he had the situation under control; as the group was leaving the
premises, complying with the sheriff's request, a member of the mob of
White men allegedly attempted to disarm one of the Black men; a shot was
fired, and then according to the reports of the sheriff, "all hell broke
loose"; and
WHEREAS, At the end of the firefight, members of both groups had
lost their lives; as news of these deaths spread throughout the city,
mob violence exploded; that night and the next morning, White rioters
rampaged through the Greenwood District, killing men, and burning and
looting stores and homes; around 12:00 p.m. on June 1st, the Oklahoma
National Guard imposed martial law, effectively ending the massacre; and
WHEREAS, Unfortunately, approximately 10,000 Black people were left
homeless, and property damage amounted to more than $1.5 million in real
estate and $750,000 in personal property (equivalent to $32.25 million
in 2019); and
WHEREAS, Many survivors left Tulsa, while Black and White residents
who stayed in the city kept silent about the terror, violence, and
resulting losses for decades, and the massacre was largely omitted from
local, state, and national histories; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, 75 years after the massacre, a bipartisan group in
the Oklahoma State Legislature authorized the formation of the Oklahoma
Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921; the commission's final
report, published in 2001, states that the city had conspired with the
mob of White citizens against Black citizens, and recommended a program
of reparations to survivors and their descendants; and
WHEREAS, The State of Oklahoma also passed legislation to establish
scholarships for descendants of survivors, encourage economic
development of Greenwood, and develop a memorial park to the massacre
victims in Tulsa, which was dedicated in 2010; 10 years later, the
massacre finally became a part of the state's school curriculum; and
WHEREAS, On August 18, 2020, the last male survivor of the Tulsa
race massacre, R&B and jazz saxophonist Hal Singer, died at the age of
100; and
WHEREAS, Recently, 107-year-old Viola Fletcher, the oldest living
survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, testified before Congress seeking
"justice" a century after one of the most horrific racist attacks in the
nation's history; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when events
of such historic significance are brought to our attention, they should
be recognized by all citizens of this great Empire State; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the destruction of Tulsa's Black
Wall Street.
