The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

A Photographic History

Author: Karlos K. Hill and Kevin Matthews Series: Greenwood Cultural Center Series in African Diaspora History and Culture

In 1921, over the course of twelve hours, white Tulsans reduced one of the America's most prosperous black communities to rubble and killed an estimated 300 people. This volume, featuring more than 175 photographs, along with oral testimonies, shines a new spotlight on the race massacre from the vantage point of its victims and survivors.

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Summary

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On the evening of May 31, 1921, and in the early morning hours of June 1, several thousand white citizens and authorities violently attacked the African American Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the course of some twelve hours of mob violence, white Tulsans reduced one of the nation's most prosperous black communities to rubble and killed an estimated 300 people, mostly African Americans. This richly illustrated volume, featuring more than 175 photographs, along with oral testimonies, shines a new spotlight on the race massacre from the vantage point of its victims and survivors.

Historian and Black Studies professor Karlos K. Hill presents a range of photographs taken before, during, and after the massacre, mostly by white photographers. Some of the images are published here for the first time. Comparing these photographs to those taken elsewhere in the United States of lynchings, the author makes a powerful case for terming the 1921 outbreak not a riot but a massacre. White civilians, in many cases assisted or condoned by local and state law enforcement, perpetuated a systematic and coordinated attack on Black Tulsans and their property.

Despite all the violence and devastation, black Tulsans rebuilt the Greenwood District brick by brick. By the mid-twentieth century, Greenwood had reached a new zenith, with nearly 250 Black-owned and Black-operated businesses. Today the citizens of Greenwood, with support from the broader community, continue to work diligently to revive the neighborhood once known as 'Black Wall Street.' As a result, Hill asserts, the most important legacy of the Tulsa Race Massacre is the grit and resilience of the Black survivors of racist violence.

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: A Photographic History offers a perspective largely missing from other accounts. At once captivating and disturbing, it will embolden readers to confront the uncomfortable legacy of racial violence in U.S. history.

Critic Reviews

“" The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is an invaluable contribution to expanding our understanding, knowledge, and compassion."-- Southwestern Historical Quarterly”

"The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is an invaluable contribution to expanding our understanding, knowledge, and compassion."--Southwestern Historical Quarterly

"Readers should get their hands on this book, read, and view it."-- Oneota Reading Journal

"As far as racial violence goes in US history, nothing quite compares to what happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921. Hill (Univ. of Oklahoma) does not attempt a comprehensive history of the massacre, although there is a synopsis at the end, but provides a visual documentation interspersed with oral accounts. Oklahoma State Senator Kevin Mathews, who is the founder and chair of the 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Commission, delivers a timely foreword. The photographs are compelling, demonstrating the shocking death and destruction inflicted on the affluent African American Greenwood neighborhood. The oral histories are telling and enhance the visual encounter. Hill's inclusion of African American witness accounts, many of which were conducted in 1999, are brilliant, as are the voices of survivors, along with their photographs, which are included toward the end of the book. This photographic history of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre is a necessary volume for public, school, and college libraries to acquire. As Senator Matthews writes, "Dr. Hill and his work are nothing less than inspiring" (p. xi). This book is not easy to digest, but it is imperative to readers' understanding of race in the American past and present."--Choice Magazine

"Book to help you learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre." -- The Oklahoman

About the Author

Karlos K. Hill is Associate Professor and Chair of the Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma and the author of Beyond the Rope: The Impact of Lynching on Black Culture and Memory.

Kevin Matthews is a member of the Oklahoma State Senate, representing District 11 (which includes Tulsa), and is Founder and Chair of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission.