Knowledge is Power
The Tulsa Race Massacre is a tragedy in American history, violating hundreds of African Americans lives. On May 30 1921, a young black man entered an elevator with a white woman. She accused him of sexual assault with no evidence and sent him to jail. The following day, armed mobs were everywhere, protesting the accusation. Black people were vastly out-numbered. Shots were fired, black businesses were looted or burned down, and hundreds of black people died in unmarked graves. And despite all the trauma it caused, people didn’t talk about it for a long time. But the impact it had extended far into the future.
Smoke from the Tulsa Race Riots.
Media executive, Gayle Greer, was a little girl when she learned about the Tulsa Race Riot, but she didn’t learn about it in school. In the 1950s, speaking about it was seemingly forbidden. In some cases, talking about it was punishable by lynching’s. So Gayle Greer had to learn about it at home:
“The only people who really had stories about the riot were my grandmother [Mary Ingram]. My grandmother talked about the riot quite a bit. And I think we often thought it was kind of a folk story that may or may not have been true because it was not talked about…I remember about…mid-late '50's [1950s] when I really understood what the race riot was all about and how disruptive it was to our community. And it went right down the street where my grandmother lived. And she used to tell us stories as we sat on her front porch. And she would…point toward the railroad track and said, ‘they were coming and they had fire and…Negroes were running. They were running, and the white people were running behind them with fire.’ She talked about that all the time.”
The aftermath of the massacre.
Growing up in that environment influenced the way she was raised by her family,
“And… I grew up with…almost suffocating racism. We were taught to be very aware of where we were. And, that was kind of the…offshoot…from the riot because our parents were very protective of us, as it related to issues of race… - not being noticed, not being out there. [So] …young boys were always kind of protected; you always felt that sense…”
She talks about the sacrifices of activism; how her fathers involvement in Tulsa social issues made it harder for them to live fulfilling lives:
“Because my father played a role in Tulsa, or was put in a role I should say, of being…a peacemaker. He was one of the few people of his generation who could operate on both the north and south side of town, and who became, like, one of the first blacks to join the white Chamber of Commerce and the white YMCA, and stuff like that. But he paid a price…of living law-abiding lives, quiet lives, lives that did not seem to be too large because…it would be dangerous.”
Silence was a huge problem of that time, but there were individuals who believed in spreading the word. A journalist named Roy Johnson is a prime example of this. He used his platform to spread awareness in the black experience. He says,
“Black Wall Street and the race riot are a significant part of American history, not just because of what happened, but the enterprise and the reason that enterprise happened in that area and what inspired African Americans to build and to build their own and to own their own in a concept that this is so, unfortunately, unfamiliar to our young people today. The…professors, the great thinkers, the entrepreneurs…just the good citizens who survived and went on to have families themselves. Unfortunately, they didn't share the story with those children, and the story died. That conspiracy of silence because of the embarrassment and the shame, and just the, maybe the shock of what happened and what happened to the two to three hundred black people who were in unmarked graves that they still don't necessarily know where they are. The fact that you could go into microfilm in the Tulsa World archives and find stories cut out of the paper covering the riots. So there's no--very little record of it. I mean, even that in itself is significant. But it's slowly, slowly being reintroduced to us and to--I guess, the children's children's children's children of Black Wall Street and of all of America. I think it should be a significant part of any, not just black history curriculum but American curriculum.”
Many African Americans have been informed on such a tragedy since such it happened - years later though. But now, they can grow up learning about the riot, and then they expand on it completely through their career. You soon learn that African Americans must fight against the pressures with their education! Roy Johnson aspired for that,
“In terms of the African American community, you know, certainly the emphasis on education we've passed down from our own parents, the lessons we've learned in our own ups and downs in our careers and try to pass those on down to our children, the openness about talking about sexuality and relationships that, I think, wasn't there with our parents. Hopefully, we've been able to better prepare them to love, to be hurt and to deal with the challenges of having relationships in a world that is continuing to change. And then understanding what does the American dream really mean…The American dream shouldn't be about things. It should be about, you know, your family, it should be about your faith. It should be about your impact on your community and your family.”
Roy Johnson
Gayle Greer discusses her fears that come with not educating the young and how she wishes for education to excel the black community,
“I think my biggest concerns are education. There is a movement going on which is a bit troubling to me…I'm afraid of what it's going to do to the black community and to communities of color…And my concern is that, what will happen is that inner city schools, if it keeps goin' the way it's goin', inner city schools will end up with no money and a lot of poor kids getting no education, because these charter schools are--they're moving, and the business community is behind 'em, in many cases. And, that concerns me. Because education has always been our best ticket to upward mobility, and I'm seeing that threatened, quite frankly, both at the education level. And then, as you--and then when you look at what's happening in this economy and technology and all that, you know, high school degree--high school diploma don't get it. Lots of college degrees don't get it anymore. So, you know, the whole ability to be able to remain economically viable for large groups of people of color is a real concern to me. Because I think the job market is moving away from them, and I think education is not doing its part that it did when I was in school.”
Gayle Greer
As two historical figures that have been in environments where education was stripped from the black community, Greer and Johnson believed that knowledge is power. It is important to dig up stories from history, learn the truth behind them, and to pass down your knowledge from generation to generation. This way, we can use the past as a tool or as motivation for seeking betterment. This is empowerment for the black community; knowing the stories of our ancestors and learning about them at home or in school is one step toward a better future. If we understand the past, we have a better chance at a promising future.
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Ambassador Update: Another busy week of promotions and boosting engagement. I’ve spoke to clubs and class, so I am hoping that my registration numbers will go up. I hung more flyers to help with this as well. I plan to continue to talk to students in the upcoming weeks. Other than that, I have been preparing for the conference this week - it’s exciting but intimidating. I hope it goes well.
