White Riot / Black Massacre

A Brief History of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Author: Kris Rose

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Description

In highly-segregated Tulsa, Oklahoma in June, 1921, a white mob attacked the mostly Black neighborhood of Greenwood. Hundreds of people were killed, and thousands injured. Homes, businesses, schools, and churches were burned or looted. The city government supported the mob, insurance companies refused to cover the losses, and the KKK touted it as a great success. The news media barely mentioned it, and it was rarely reported on or taught about in schools. For decades it was referred to as a riot, and only recently has the more accurate term "massacre" been applied in official documents. This short history creates an evocative account grounded in well-researched details that bring the events alive in an urgent and personal way, as well as detailing what happened afterwards and the ongoing fight for reparations. As we reach the centennial of these atrocities, this zine serves as a reminder that we must all take an active role in not repeating the worst of our history.

Critic Reviews

“[Review Quote] ""Creative" is one of the first words that comes to mind when reading this book. Notice the title, creatively/meaningfully combining the traditionally-used "riot" to describe what happened in Tulsa in 1921 with the word more recently dominant--and more accurate: "massacre." Kris Rose sets out basically to summarize existing works on the Tulsa Race Massacre, but this book is much more than that. So if you want an alternative to the numerous mainstream books written on the subject....here's your book!"" - - Davis D. Joyce, author of Howard Zinn: A Radical American Vision [Review Quote] ""Kris Rose depicts a climate of intimidation, harassment, and racism that loomed over Tulsa as it rose to become the Oil Capital of the World in the early 1920s. Granular details and timelines reconstruct the fateful hours leading up to the destruction of Tulsa's "Black Wall Street" in 1921, but Rose also gives readers the big picture missing from some accounts of this tragedy; that is, the feverish calls for extra-legal persecution of anyone who did not fit the a conservative, Christian, and white supremacist vision of America. Throughout the narrative, Rose sprinkles in reflections of growing up as an outsider in Oklahoma, a place often neglected in the American imagination. Far from being just another "flyover state," Rose gives us this important reminder that Oklahoma represents an extremist experiment in American colonialism. Massive shoutout to Kris for bringing these neglected stories to the fore."" - - Dr. Russell Cobb, author of The Great Oklahoma Swindle: Race, Religion, and Lies in America's Weirdest State [Review Quote] ""Kris Rose gives us a concise yet detailed account of the Tulsa Race Massacre from a very personal perspective."" - - Randy Krehbiel, author of Tulsa, 1921: Reporting a Massacre [Endorsement] ""The perfect gateway primer to a topic we're still trying to understand in full. Keep reading."" - Jeff Martin, President/Co-Founder, Magic City Books”

About the Author

Kris Rose is a native of Tulsa Oklahoma. She was active in the punk scene from the mid 90s until 2019 when she sold her independent bookstore, Bound for Glory Books. She has also travelled extensively across the United States by train (hopping and Amtrak), hitchhiking, Greyhound and tour van. She currently resides in Tulsa with her husband and many pets. Her articles have appeared in the Tulsa Voice where she most memorably interviewed Wanda Jackson. Several of her short stories and essays have been published by both Red Dirt Press and Microcosm Publishing. In her spare time she lectures about her love of horror movies and their influence on her own brand of feminism.