The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 destroyed much of Greenwood, the thriving Black business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma remembered as “Black Wall Street.”
On May 31 and June 1, 1921, violence spread through Greenwood, leaving homes and businesses burned, residents displaced, and one of the most prosperous Black communities in the United States devastated.
But before the destruction, Greenwood was alive.
Businesses.
Restaurants.
Professional offices.
Homes.
Churches.
Families.
Entrepreneurs building wealth and community in segregated America.
The crisis began after an encounter involving Dick Rowland and elevator operator Sarah Page at Tulsa’s Drexel Building.
Rowland was arrested.
Rumors spread.
Newspaper reports intensified public tension.
A white crowd gathered outside the Tulsa County Courthouse amid fears that Rowland could be lynched.
Black World War I veterans and other Greenwood residents also arrived at the courthouse.
By nightfall, the confrontation had escalated.
Violence moved toward Greenwood.
Buildings were attacked and set on fire.
By the following day, large sections of the district had been destroyed.
Among the historical figures connected to this story are physician Dr. A. C. Jackson, Greenwood founder and businessman O. W. Gurley, Tulsa Star publisher A. J. Smitherman, Sheriff Willard McCullough, attorney B. C. Franklin, and Red Cross relief director Maurice Willows.
The aftermath created another crisis.
Thousands needed shelter, food, medical assistance, and help rebuilding their lives.
B. C. Franklin and others fought legal efforts that threatened to prevent Greenwood property owners from rebuilding.
Insurance claims also exposed the devastating financial consequences faced by many property owners after the destruction.
Aircraft were reported over Greenwood during the violence. Historical accounts differ over exactly what role they played, including disputed reports that objects were dropped from planes.
This episode reconstructs Greenwood before, during, and after the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.
It explores the rise of Black Wall Street, the courthouse confrontation, the destruction of Greenwood, the relief effort, and the struggle to rebuild one of the most important Black communities in American history.
Historical events and historical figures are presented within a cinematic reconstruction.
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1921.
Before Black Wall Street burned…
it was thriving.
Episode 08 — Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1920–1921
DILZA Historical Series
🎬 WATCH DILZA IN ORDER
Episode 01 — New York, 1920 / Prohibition
▶ https://youtu.be/NOoYTZkd59Q
Episode 02 — Chicago, 1931
▶ https://youtu.be/7aPaoZ23Sio
Episode 03 — Tennessee, 1925 / The Scopes Trial
▶ https://youtu.be/c2LydugnhOU
Episode 04 — Detroit, 1927 | The Fire in the Laundry
▶ https://youtu.be/hWfBQKh_KaA
Episode 05 — Nashville, 1920 | The War of Roses
▶ https://youtu.be/sK-MkVPwBJM
Episode 06 — New York, 1920 | The Day New York Exploded
▶ https://youtu.be/Fb_5dFq8MSc
Episode 07 — The $3 5 Million Mail Train Robbery Council Bluf ep.7
▶ https://youtu.be/5k5YbnZTGME
Episode 08 — Tulsa Race Massacre 1921 The Night Black Wall Street Burned Dilza — Episode 08
▶ https://youtu.be/yAdLzl3p06k
Episode 09 — West Virginia, 1921: The Mine War That Exploded at Blair Mountain | Dilza — Episode 09
▶ https://youtu.be/qVVBOnwgFCI
🎞️ Chapter One — Dilza’s File (Episodes 1–5):
Episodes 1–5 assembled into one cinematic chapter.
▶ [https://youtu.be/HvSVw0ur8fE]
📺 FULL DILZA SERIES
▶ Watch the complete playlist:
#TulsaRaceMassacre #BlackWallStreet #Greenwood #Tulsa1921 #AmericanHistory
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