HIS 100 Module 5 Activity Template
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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Apr 3, 2024
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HIS 100 Module Five Activity Template: Historical Interpretations
Replace the bracketed text below with your responses.
Identify the topic you chose to explore: •
1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
Describe how exploring your research question improved your understanding of the historical roots of your current event.
The community of Greenwood District had a nickname. It was called "Black Wall Street". Black Wall Street was a symbol of financial success for the once-enslaved African Americans. The Greenwood District has several thriving businesses that everyday professionals govern. The wealth was an estimated $200 million of Black-owned property. It was the first time in history that a predominately Black community owned and operated their own business within the community.
The research question improved my understanding in many ways. How can one racial incident end up destroying an entire community and killing 300 people? What took years to build suddenly was erased in less than 24 hours. (New York Times, 2023). The community was filled with doctors, lawyers, designers, beauty salons, barbers, investors, bankers, shoe shiners, chefs, carpenters, etc. Explain how biased perspectives influence what is known about both your historical and current events.
Unfortunately, today, for every $100 in wealth held by white households, Black households hold only $15. This tells me the Tulsa Massacre took away the beacon of hope financially. Today there are very
few black-owned businesses, better yet districts. Black Wall Street could have been the blueprint for Black in other states and cities. Tulsa Massacre robbed the children and grandchildren of Greenwood District of a prosperous financial life.
On the flip side, Americans are more diverse than ever before. Specifically Tulsa, over the past 10
years has become one of the highest ranks in terms of diversity. As 2020 census shows that Tulsa, OK has
61% Hispanics, which is very different from the 1920s when blacks and whites were split by train tracks. The biased narrative of racism has been eradicated based on the numbers.
Propose how the narrative about your historical event might change if it were told from a missing perspective.
After the Tulsa Massacre, communities separated. Many Blacks tried to file lawsuits and raise concerns to the congressional offices in Tulsa, but no one seemed to care. The white mobsters were never investigated or charged. The media didn't want to hear Black's perspective on what happened being that they were the ones who were attacked. Many Greenwood District community members never shared their stories. One survivor Olivia J. Hooker, on May 31, 1921, reported that "At first, we saw a bunch of men with those big pine torches come through the backyard. And I remember our mother put us under the table. She took the longest tablecloth she had to cover four children and told us not to say a word. It was a horrifying thing for a little girl who was only 6 years old - trying to remember to keep quiet, so they wouldn't know we were there. As those marauders came into the house, they were trying to destroy anything that they could find. They took a huge axe and started whacking at my sister Aileen's beloved piano - whack, whack, whack. It was a good piano, and they thought that was something we shouldn't have." (National Public
Radio, Inc. 1921). Hooker's testimony described groups of men robbing and lotting community members homes. Not only were there multiple reports of bombs being dropped on the city, but Hooker's statement suggests white mobsters were breaking into homes, setting fires in local schools, and terrorizing the community members.
Propose how the narrative about your current event might change if it were told from a missing perspective.
Perhaps the story would be more detailed and truthful. Had reporters interviewed the community members and witnesses America would have known the full extent of the issue. Also, interviewing members and witnesses is something about capturing human nature in the moment. If witnesses had been interviewed moments after the massacre, the individual would have been able to provide detailed accounts fluidly.
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