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36 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2021 One hundred years ago, one of the nation's wealthiest Black neighborhoods was attacked and destroyed in less than 24 hours by thousands of armed, white citizens backed by law enforcement. They used torches to burn down homes and dropped bombs from private airplanes to completely wipe out the section in Tulsa, Okla. known as "Black Wall Street." Greenwood District was a segregated neighborhood with approximately 11,000 Black citizens who were among the country's wealthiest, most successful, and well-educated African Americans. Hundreds of businesses were present including a hospital, library, and a movie theater. There were also banks, newspapers, schools, churches, pharmacies, and hair salons. Greenwood was so successful that Booker T. Washington dubbed the business district "Black Wall Street." The massacre erupted because of a rumor and a gunshot. On May 30, 1921, a 19-year-old Black shoeshine man named Dick Rowland entered an elevator in the Drexel building where a 17-year-old white elevator operator named Sarah Page was working; Sarah began screaming and they both fled. However, when a white clerk saw Rowland running by, she telephoned the police immediately. Rowland was detained the next day for assault but Page refused to press charges. A white crowd gathered outside the courthouse where Dick Rowland was being held. Rowland was safeguarded by a group of armed Black men who had arrived at the courthouse to defend him. A scuffle broke out between a Black man and one of the white men until a gun went off. Then with extreme prejudice, scores of white people poured into Greenwood killing residents, looting businesses, and setting the entire town on fire. Greenwood burned for two days before martial law was declared and the National Guard arrived. More than 1,200 homes were demolished, 35 city blocks burnt down, and over 300 Black residents were murdered. After the massacre, witnesses recalled seeing dead Black bodies thrown in the river and buried in mass graves. Many of the photos taken of the destroyed town were kept as souvenirs by the Ku Klux Klan, who turned them into postcards with the caption, "The Tulsa Race Riot." The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most heinous acts of racial violence in American history. Blood on Black Wall Street: The Legacy of the Tulsa Massacre is a new documentary that was broadcast on CNBC last May. The next AACC Zoom meeting is Monday, July 5. For information, email infotoaacc@gmail.com. ~ Regina Thomas, infotoaacc@gmail.com African American Cultural Club We were able to meet in person at The Courts in June. It was good to see all of you after 15 months of COVID-19 restrictions. Many of our members were in attendance for our first in-person meeting after the pandemic restrictions prevented us from meeting at The Courts. Barbara Dipoma showed videos of the 12 regions of Italy and the foods that they are known for. She also did a cooking demonstration for our members and the group discussed some Italian sayings. Thank you Barbara for taking the time to plan a wonderful evening for our group. We appreciate your efforts and look forward to many more meetings as we go forward after the long, dry spell of not meeting. We hope everyone is in good health and ready to get involved in our club. If you have suggestions on what you would like to see in upcoming meetings, please get in touch with Barbara. If you would like to be a member of the Italian American Club, please contact Barbara Dipoma or Jerry Monahan, or just plan on attending one of our meetings. Anyone is welcome to join our club. You do not have to be Italian, everyone is welcome. We meet at The Courts on the second Thursday of each month at 6 pm. Plan on joining us. ~ Jerry Monahan, (951) 212-8898 Italian American Club The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 "Injustice plus time does not equal justice"

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