I remember briefly learning about the Greenwood District and the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot/Massacre in high school. The lessons made an impact, but it wasn’t until the Race Riot/Massacre was mentioned in the HBO show “The Watchmen” that I realized how little I know about that area of Tulsa, its history, and the larger repercussions for our state as a whole.
When the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum reached out to your Pryor Library (and many other libraries in NE Oklahoma) asking if we would be interested in a permanent loan of their “Spirit of Greenwood/1921 Tulsa Race Massacre” exhibit at no cost, we quickly accepted. The exhibit, which is on display now in our lobby, is quite moving.
Learning about events like the 1921 Race Riot/Massacre isn’t comfortable, but it is important. Honestly, that’s true for much of our country’s history. Past events are complicated and difficult to wrap our heads around, especially as we delve into the details. This exhibit doesn’t try to give us an exhaustive lesson on Greenwood or the Race Riot/Massacre, but it does offer a glimpse into what it was like to be there.
With historical photographs from the Greenwood District in its heyday and after its destruction during the riot/massacre (nothing graphic), the exhibit makes the time and place very tangible. It reports some of the findings of the 2001 Tulsa Race Riot Commission Report and discusses the change in terms from “riot” to “massacre.”
After viewing the panels (or before), you should check out the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum’s website (tulsahistory.org) and read the 2001 Tulsa Race Riot Commission’s report through the Oklahoma Historical Society’s website (okhistory.org/research/forms/freport.pdf).
It’s worth the discomfort to learn about this important part of Oklahoma’s history.