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Black Destruction and Rebuilding “Black Wall Street”

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It’s been 100 years since the race massacre in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, also known as Black Wall Street.  But even today, Black people are still living in the shadow of what happened to Black Wall Street and many other similar, thriving Black communities. Today, Black poverty rates are almost double those of white poverty rates in the U.S. and the average household wealth of Black households in the US is trending towards zero. So, it’s no surprise that Black people are increasingly looking back fondly on Black Wall Street. It was a thriving Black community filled with Black-owned businesses and the opportunities attracted Black people from all over the country, especially the South. Increasingly, Black people want back the same self-determination that was possible then.


Black Wall Street, in its heyday, was one of the wealthiest Black areas in the U.S. The district of around 10,000 people had movie theaters, barber shops, restaurants, laundromats, dance halls, grocery stores, doctors and lawyer offices, etc. Word got out about the opportunity present for Black people to get good paying jobs and own businesses, so Black people flocked from all over the country. By pooling together resources and giving each other loans to start businesses, Black people created a thriving community that was for Black people, by Black people.


Unfortunately, the thriving community didn’t last. Over a thousand violent racists led a 24 hour race riot that killed at least 300 people and burned down over 30 city blocks. This mob set buildings on fire, looted, dropped bombs from planes, and shot and attacked any Black people in sight. The violence and chaos left most of the residents homeless, and some were forced into internment camps afterward. This attack was sparked by the hatred of the Black community’s success, the rising racial tensions of the time, and a lie that the Tulsa Tribune spread. The newspaper falsely accused a Black man of raping a white woman, which ended up potentially being the spark that lit the first match. A mass grave that may have been filled with the victims of this massacre was found near Tulsa in 2019.


Many Black people are wondering how the Black community could rebuild Black Wall Street again. Doing so is possible, but it requires that Black people learn the right lessons from the past. Other thriving Black communities were also destroyed by violent, racist mobs. In each case, a Black security force led by an armed political group such as the Black Panther Party or Huey P. Newton Gun Club is necessary. It is just as important that Black people are armed and protected as it is that Black people are successful financially to deter any race massacres from happening. Black people must also band together in committees to prevent gentrification and coordinate to loan each other the necessary funds to start businesses. And strategize on how to keep Black dollars circulating in these communities (dollars would circulate in Black Wall Street 36 times on average before leaving the community, a number vastly higher than today.)


Black people can rebuild Black Wall Street again, but it will require strategy, self-defense, community coordination, and unity.

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- Johnny Ross, Content Writer


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