By Jake Sonderman
In the wake of the George Floyd protests over the summer and extreme momentum in the Black Lives Matter movement, we’ve all been learning more about the history of the Civil Rights Movement and racial injustice in the US than we learned in our American history classes. I feel there definitely should have been proportionately more curriculum on the subject. A key event in the history of racial injustice in the US is the Tulsa Massacre.
The History
The Tulsa Massacre, also referred to as the Tulsa Race Riot, began on May 31, 1921, in the Greenwood neighborhood (aka “Black Wall Street”) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This small neighborhood was coined “Black Wall Street” because of the many successful African-American owned businesses. The neighborhood had its own school, dental practice, and hospital (whose owner was one of the few black millionaires at the time). In May 1921, Dick Rowland, an African-American shoe shiner, was accused of raping a white woman in an elevator. He was being held at the courthouse. An article was published in the Tulsa Tribune with sources saying a lynching was planned that night for Rowland. Groups of armed whites and armed African-Americans rallied around the courthouse that night. The confrontation resulted in one white man being shot, and that was the spark. The white mob went on to kill as many as 300 African Americans (the actual number is not known, but it is between 75-300) (Britannica.com). The mob also burned down most of the businesses on Black Wall Street, and insurance companies would not give these businesses their pay out because their policy did not cover “rioting” (Tulsaworld.com).
Riot or Massacre?
Merriam-Webster defines a riot as, “a tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons assembled together and acting with a common intent” (Merriam-Webster.com). Denotatively, this describes what happened on May 31-June 2, 1921. A group of whites disturbed the public peace in Greenwood by burning many businesses and were most definitely acting with a common intent. But, to ignore the connotations of the word “riot” is problematic.
In Tulsa, the property damage and murders were directed at a specific group of people. While the arrest of Dick Rowland sparked the disaster, it was not the entire cause. The cause is likely rooted in resentment, as Greenwood was wealthier than some of the white communities surrounding it. That day was a sort of reckoning for the white mobs that desecrated Greenwood.
Massacre.
The most common definition of massacre is, “the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty” (Merriam-Webster). A less common definition also by Merriam-Webster is, “an act of complete destruction.” I believe this second definition perfectly characterizes what happened in Tulsa in 1921. This was an act of vast destruction on Greenwood’s lives and livelihoods.
The first Merriam-Webster definition characterizes the violence well enough, considering how many African Americans were killed in those two days. Technically, however, they weren’t defenseless at the beginning, but after that first encounter, the “riot” turned into the killing of defenseless citizens in Greenwood. The incident devolved into white patrols roaming the streets of Greenwood shooting on sight (Britannica.com). The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee passed the Tulsa-Greenwood Race Riot Claims Accountability Act, where they heard testimonies from survivors. One survivor, Olivia J. Hooker, said she survived the “Tulsa Race Riot of 1921”; she self corrected and added, “but what really was a massacre” (TulsaWorld.com).
All of this is why I believe we should call what happened in Tulsa a massacre. It is important we take note of the connotations of words when dealing with important historical subjects such as these, so that we can make sure those who learn about this later get an accurate picture of our history.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Tulsa-race-riot-of-1921
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riot
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massacre
Black History Month Editor: Evan Spry
Very thoughtfully explored, Jake. Well done.