Historical Fiction In Angel Of Greenwood, By Randy Pink

The Benefit of Historical Fiction

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to build a strong and thriving town just for it to be destroyed by your biggest enemy? Well if you have, you will be surprised that this actually happened. In 1905, Black Wall Street was founded as an African American community in the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the early 20th century, this area was known as Black Wall Street because of its economic prosperity. In 1921, a white mob destroyed the neighborhood during the Tulsa Race Massacre. In the novel Angel of Greenwood, it uses fictional elements to teach the reader about this true historical event that happened. Randy Pink’s Angel of Greenwood is a historical fiction novel that informs the reader

Washington. In the novel, Angel’s favorite author is Booker T. Washington. Angel strongly believes in what Booker T. Washington says and his views on African Americans. Angel's favorite book written by Booker T. Washington is Up From Slavery. In the book, the narrator says “Black, brilliant, self-sustaining Greenwood Avenue was proof that Booker T. Washington was correct about tolerance and eventual progress” (Pink 32). According to the article “Washington, Booker T.”, “In addition to education, Washington advocated for economic self-sufficiency for blacks. His chief means of encouraging economic independence was through the National Negro Business League (NNBL), which he founded in Boston in 1900. Economic development, selfhelp, race pride, and independence were encouraged from all League members” (“Washington, Booker T.”). In addition, “Washington, Booker T.” says, “Although Booker T. Washington was not the wealthiest African American of his day, he became one of the most influential black leaders in the history of the nation” (“Washington, Booker T.”). Both of these examples show that readers can learn more about historical figures through a fiction novel. In conclusion, the figure of Booker T. Washington is one way Pink teaches the reader about the

Washington, readers learn about the leading up to the Tulsa Race massacre. In the novel, it mentions a white woman's scream. The narrator says, “Yesterday, a white woman's scream swung the atmosphere so far that I could not catch it. Her scream lit an already angry brew, fueling and feeding a starving mob whose hunger was not for food” (Pink 206). According to the article “Tulsa Race Riot of 1921”, “On May 30, 1921, a young black shoe-shiner outside a white department store in Tulsa, Oklahoma, rode the elevator to the men's restroom. On his return, he apparently stepped on the foot of the young white female operator. She cried ‘Rape!’ and the black lad fled into the Greenwood black district on the northeast edge of town. Arrested the next day, the youth was transferred to the safer county jail as the mayor and chief of police assured the community that no assault had occurred” (“Tulsa Riot of 1921”). In addition, “Following the arrest of the shoe-shiner on May 31, 1921, the local press inflamed readers with inaccurate stories and references to a lynching. That night as hundreds of white males congregated around the courthouse, thirty to fifty armed black men marched to the jail offering their help to the besieged sheriff. He showed them that the youth was safe, and they returned to Greenwood. Later that night a larger group of black men, including World War I veterans, again marched to the jail and were again turned away by the sheriff. In an armed