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93 years ago on this day May 31, 1921, the Tulsa Race Riot began. It is marked as the deadliest race riot in the history of the U.S. & destroyed what was known as, Black Wall Street.
Black Wall Street was the wealthiest black community in the United States, full of black owned businesses consisting of:
movie theaters
dental offices
independent newspapers
restaurants
grocery stores
a bank
post offices
a bus system
schools
airplanes
law offices
its own hospital.
Racial tension boiled over on May 30, 1921 when a white woman accused a black boy of sexual assault. Late that night, a mob of nearly 10,000 white men launched an all out assault on Black Wall Street systematically burning down every home & business.
Attacks came from both the ground and the sky as the mobs used planes from World War I to drop firebombs and shoot at residents. African Americans that were captured were held in internment camps around the city by local police & National Guard units.
Blacks who were injured during the 16 hour attack couldn’t seek medical care because the mobs torched the only black hospital in the city.
The attack left about 10,000 African Americans homeless and 35 city blocks burned to the ground. In total, 1,256 houses & 191 businesses (including churches, a middle school & a hospital) were burned.
In the aftermath, it was estimated that 300 African Americans were killed and many of their bodies were buried in unmarked graves.
The Tulsa Race Riot was taught for the 1st time in Tulsa public schools in 2012. #NeverForget #BlackWallStreet #BlackHistory
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