Tulsa: The Attack on Black Wall Street

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 30 May 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked residents, homes and businesses in the predominantly Black ‘Greenwood District’ of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hundreds of people died or were injured in the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921— the event remains one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history.

Hannibal B. Johnson is an author and professor. He serves on the federal 400 Years of African-American History Commission and chaired the Education Committee for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. Hannibal joins Dan to discuss how Greenwood was known as ‘The Black Wall Street,’ the white supremacy that lay at the centre of the riot, and how the city grapples with its historical racial trauma today.

Click here to listen to a previous episode about The Tulsa Race Massacre.

Produced by Hannah Ward

Mixed and Mastered by Dougal Patmore

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is sponsored by Audible, where you can now stream the new series of that brilliant Stephen Fry's
0:06.7	Secrets of podcast. It peaks behind the curtain of the 1920s this time. The life and times of the flappers,
0:14.1	police women, radio, the movies, jazz, the British sense of humour,
0:20.3	censorship and the secrets and lies, the financial crash. This is another installment of Stephen Fry that listeners love.
0:27.7	There are some brilliant stories in here, all told in a very Stephen Fry type of way. You're going to love it. Listen now.
0:33.5	Subscription required. See audible.co.uk for terms.
0:38.6	Hi, buddy. Welcome to Dan Snow's History Hits on May 31st, 1921. A white mob gathered in front of the courthouse and prison in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
0:48.5	A young, black teenager had been apprehended by the police, allegedly for an assault against a young white woman.
0:56.1	The assault seems never to have taken place. It was fanned by fake news by the newspapers.
1:00.6	And that mob in front of the courthouse went on a rampage through the black area of Tulsa,
1:08.0	the Greenwood neighbourhood and Afluent area, and it's the black Wall Street and caused astonishing damage.
1:14.8	It killed, they plundered, they looted and they burned. It is one of the most remarkable,
1:22.0	shocking instance of white vigilante violence against the black community post reconstruction.
1:29.4	We covered this for the anniversary of the centenary last year. It was almost successful ever podcast.
1:34.3	We thought we'd revisit it this year. We talked to a very brilliant professor Hannibal B. Johnson.
1:40.3	He chaired the Education Committee for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission.
1:45.4	These written numerous books about it. He is the oracle. As you'll hear,
1:49.0	the man's knowledge is encyclopedic, which is great to have on the podcast.
1:53.0	If you want to go back and listen to other episodes of this podcast featuring accounts of the Tulsa
1:58.6	Race Massacre, please do head over to History Hit TV. You'll get them all there without the ads.
2:03.4	You just follow the link in the notes of this podcast. You whip over there. You sound to History Hit TV.
2:08.3	You can watch documentaries. You can listen to podcasts. It's all happening over there,
	...

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