The Resurrection of Black Wall Street
In 1996 I was an undergrad student at the University of Georgia. I was put in charge of a week of programming for my sorority. The goal was to bring important information to the student community. We would cover a variety of topics and have a little fun too. One of the sorority pillars that year was Economic Empowerment. So I decided at the time to research Black Wall Street. I do not recall how I initially heard about Black Wall Street because it was never taught in any of my previous history classes. Perhaps I discovered it when I was researching Emmitt Till just a few months prior.
I thought, given the Economic Empowerment pillar, it would be great to discuss economic prosperity in the Black community both past and present. At the end of the program we wanted students to have learned about saving and building for their future and their family’s futures. So we called the program Building Another Black Wall Street. During this program we did not specifically discuss in depth the massacre of hundreds of Black people that took place in 1921. We did focus on what made them successful prior to it all being taken away and burned to the ground. Investment in land, businesses, and education was the key to their economic success. This still remains true today.
I wanted to write this piece because in just a couple of days, the massacre that took place in Tulsa will be 100 years old. If you have never heard of Black Wall Street or the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, put as simply as possible, Black Tulsans had built a thriving community of businesses, a school and nice homes and one day a young Black man allegedly offended a white elevator attendant in some way and a white mob marched into the Black area of town known as Greenwood and destroyed everything. They also shot and killed over 300 people. More specifically over 300 Black Americans. Many people still do not know where their loved ones lay to rest.
May 31, 2021 will mark 100 years of this American tragedy. The fact that nothing has been truly done to rectify this injustice is extremely frustrating. It breaks my heart and is ultimately so hurtful that Black lives were undervalued then and to some degree still remain undervalued. Recently on NPR, Mayor Bynum of Tulsa stated when asked about reparations: “”Where does that come from? It would necessarily have to come from a tax levied on this generation of Tulsans and the idea of financially penalizing this generation of Tulsans for something criminals did 100 years ago; that’s a hard thing to ask.”
My question to the mayor is why shouldn’t it come from this generation of Tulsans? I am certain many of them have benefited from what happened 100 years ago. Surely people took over those families’ land and have thus passed it down for generations to their family members or perhaps sold it to move onto more property or start a business.
Property in itself offers a level of wealth that simply working hard does not. Generations have been negatively impacted by the events of May 1921 and these families need to be made whole. Even if it goes to their great grandchildren or great-great grandchildren. Those families need to be given back the wealth that was stolen from them so many years ago. This needs to be made right. If not this generation, then when? After 100 years, it is time.
I grew up hearing the stories of my grandfather, a prominent bi-racial businessman. He paid for all of his cars cash they said. He was one of few Black men who owned a car in the small town. He was very handsome and owned lots of property and a corner store. Dying in his late 40s, he left behind my mom and my uncle. His only two children. They were swindled out of their inheritance by their fraternal grandmother. Perhaps this is what made Black Wall Street interesting to me back in 1996 and even now. As I grow older and work hard to grow my businesses and leave a lasting legacy for my children, I can’t help but think about how much further along my family might be financially had they received their inheritance many years ago. Like so many people of color, the lack of resources despite building much of this country goes unrewarded, overlooked, and undervalued. I recently read the book “Cumulative Advantage” by Mark Schafer. This book left such an impression on me. I have become even more determined to help people of color and other minorities build successful and long lasting businesses. We all deserve to leave our families a legacy that moves them up the ladder. We all deserve a piece of the American dream and no one should be able to take that away.
