Greenwood Rising: See for Yourself
The 60-minute tour of Tulsa’s, now one-year old, history center holds at least that many teachable moments
You likely know about the Tulsa Race Massacre by now. The Centennial Commemoration in spring 2021 was either an introduction to or an opportunity for a deeper dive into the deadliest instance of racially-motivated mob violence in United States history.
The observance helped Americans process the larger historical context of the violence. White mob violence took root in dozens of cities and towns all over the U.S. in the late 1910s and 1920s. We learned horrible details of the violence in Tulsa — of the murder, looting, and arson that decimated 35 square blocks of the Greenwood District in North Tulsa. An estimated 300 residents were killed; at least 1200 homes were torched.
The story of the Race Massacre wasn’t finished when the violence ended.
In fact, the ground has yet to settle. Less than two years ago, the city began excavating mass graves in the downtown Tulsa Cemetery in search of the bodies of massacre victims . In 2019, Oklahoma history classes were required to teach about the violence in Greenwood, and its previous status as a center of Black wealth. A lawsuit, on behalf of the three living survivors of the Massacre, has survived a motion to dismiss and moves forward in seeking wide ranging compensatory damages for the survivors and their descendants.
No matter how much exposure we have to the horrific history of the United States, learning about the past and its consequences can be overwhelming. The Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, joined by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and others, raised funds for a structure that intends to educate the public about the Greenwood story. Dedicated in June, 2021, this 11,000 square foot structure sits in the heart of the Greenwood neighborhood. It is designed to move visitors through the 120+ years of what was once known as The Black Wall Street within the broader context of American racial conflict.
Given the current debate over teaching race-inclusive history in schools, Greenwood Rising offers parents a unique teaching opportunity designed for middle and high school-age children. State-of-the art digital technology weaves personal narratives through the use of thousands of images and sounds. When combined with physical artifacts, the guest can bear witness to the tragedies and triumphs of residents of this community.
Regardless of how much you know walking in, you won’t feel the same as you leave.
When you enter the facility, you are welcomed by the voice of the late poet Maya Angelou. The entry hall is bright, her voice powerful. She reads her poem, “Still I Rise,” with on-screen images from the Greenwood community and its members, past and present. It sets the stage for learning about Greenwood’s resilience and strength.
From here, the guided tour begins. On a floor-to-ceiling viewing screen you witness an animated time lapse history of a block of Greenwood Avenue, from its early settlement with primitive structures to a strolling group of Black residents in their Sunday best. A Model-T Ford passes a Greenwood barber shop. It’s a valuable lesson in entrepreneurship, and community building.
Then you enter what’s likely the only holographic Black barbershop in the world. Barber shops and hair salons have historically been safe spaces for Black people to talk. Here, three barbers, representing three generations of African American men in the 1920’s, speak proudly about their neighborhood’s success, built largely because rigid segregation made Black residents unwelcome elsewhere. Yet, the young barber expresses worry that White Tulsa will not continue to tolerate a successful Black community on the other side of the railroad tracks. That fear is realized soon enough.
The two most difficult exhibits in the center follow. A content warning and “emotional exit” is available before entering these spaces. The “Systems of Anti-Blackness in America” vividly tells the story of our racist past. It is ugly to see and even harder to comprehend. Shackles that were used on enslaved people, archival photos of Black men hung from a bridge with White spectators posing for the camera, and a Klan hood and robe, are three of a multitude of items that bring chattel slavery and domestic race terrorism to life.
The depiction of the Massacre itself is told from the survivors point of view. According to museum’s website, “ a projector displays images of environmental motion graphics [that] immerse visitors in the destruction and violence of the night, while they listen to the recorded memories of survivors.”
The next exhibit, “Changing Fortunes,” highlights the resilience and fortitude of the neighborhood. The residents re-built after the Massacre, despite the massive destruction. Here in this room are stories and photos celebrating a renowned and even larger vibrant African-American community.
But a slow decline began in the 1950’s and 60’s.
As Tulsa desegregated, residents and businesses left the neighborhood. Then came urban removal, back then officially labeled urban renewal. It was common in many large urban neighborhoods to eliminate blocks of Black housing, business, and public places to make space to accommodate superhighways, creating new barriers between Black and White neighborhoods.
Today, Greenwood Rising is yet again catalyzed by the 100th anniversary commemoration event, and the opening of the history center. But Phil Armstrong, the center’s interim director, says the vision reaches beyond the Greenwood story. “The vision for Greenwood Rising, is to educate, to inform, and then to allow for reconciliation, and for people to take this journey together.” To help realize that vision, before departing Greenwood Rising you are invited to make “a personal and actionable commitment toward racial reconciliation.”
Despite this positive mission and good intentions, there is no consensus within the Greenwood community about Greenwood Rising.
Tulsa World reporter Kevin Canfield (Sept. 9, 2021) quotes several sources: “For City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper who represents most of Greenwood, the history center is more window dressing that does nothing to address the injustices and economic hardships that resulted from the events of May 31-June 1, 1921. ‘You have been neglecting Greenwood and this part of the community all these years — for decades. Now we are rushing in to do all these things because the eyes of the world are going to be on Tulsa, and particularly Greenwood,’ ” says Hall-Harper.
But Oklahoma “State Senator Kevin Mathews argues, “over 50 north Tulsa community members and supporters met to strategically plan and create a vision for the centennial four years ago. The overwhelming consensus was that the whole Greenwood story needs to be told in an experiential way — that is the first priority.’”
Mathews refers to the need to tell the “whole Greenwood story.” Left unspoken is that people need to hear and see this story.
Stories create empathy.
I made two trips to Tulsa to understand the Massacre, but I couldn’t integrate and internalize the entire sweep of Greenwood’s story, both epic and intimate, until I toured Greenwood Rising. Exiting the building onto Greenwood Avenue, on the street where Black residents were murdered and their homes and businesses burned, I understood that this story isn’t finished.
Greenwood Rising was ranked seventh in a nationwide vote for USA Today’s Best New Attractions of 2021. Timed entry tickets are required so call ahead to reserve tickets.
