The Tulsa Race Riot

A movement away from segregation There are a lot of big events that come to mind when you think about the history of Oklahoma, but is the Tulsa Race Riot one of them? Things happen all over America everyday that improve the lives of Americans. There are people still affected by segregation and racism everyday and this was the beginning of the movement toward everyone being more equal. It is not taught, or talked about as much as it should be, sometimes it seems like it is even being forgotten. The Tulsa Race Riot was a major movement away from segregation and racism that positively affected American history. There was a significant event that happened prior to the riots that really pushed black and white Tulsa citizens to the edge. A 19

This caused the population to grow and there were a bunch of people in Tulsa at the time of these events happening. “About 40 blocks were destroyed, including 1,256 homes, many of which had been looted before they were set alight.”(Sulzberger). This was a big area of Tulsa that was home to a lot of people. People expressed racism more around this time making it harder for whites to believe anything besides Rowland assaulting a small girl doing her job because most whites did not like blacks. Although a lot has changed since this time but we cannot forget what people went through to get to where we are now. If none of this had happened there still might be segregation and just as much racism. These events were not a good thing that happened but in the end they changed America to make it a more comfortable place for people to live. There are still bad parts of Tulsa, but it is not separated like it used to be. There are still things that happen between whites and blacks that cause riots today, but nothing like the Tulsa Race Riot. “After the massacre, Greenwood was uninhabitable. Former residents lived in Red Cross tents for months, through the freezing winter.” (The history of the Tulsa race massacre that destroyed America’s wealthiest black neighborhood). This area of Tulsa was one of the most wealthy black areas in the United States and within just hours it was all burnt to

Since this is not taught in school that much, not even mentioned in most history books, and rarely talked about in private, they are nervous the whole event is just going to disappear. These events were really important to the moving of segregation and they should be remembered more than they are. African Americans have just as many opportunities as whites do today. Everything is a lot more equal than it was during May of 1921. The Tulsa Race Riot should be more known and taught in school better to prevent things like this in the future and it could be a step towards our future generations of everyone getting along like it is normal. “The survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre are nearly all dead now." (The history of the Tulsa race massacre that destroyed America’s wealthiest black neighborhood). The people that lived through this and are still alive are really trying to get this more known by people because if they don 't now, then sooner or later this time in history will be merely gone. If these actions would not have happened who knows what Tulsa would be like right now. There might still be segregation and racial separations. These riots really pushed the thought of racism not only across Oklahoma but across the whole United