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PART 2: They Burned Black Wall Street — Then Called It a Riot
This is the part of the Black Wall Street story people need to understand.
Greenwood was not destroyed because of one elevator.
That was the spark they used.
But the resentment was already there.
The jealousy was already there.
The hostility was already there.
A young Black man named Dick Rowland was accused after an encounter with a white elevator operator named Sarah Page.
The story was twisted.
The newspapers inflamed it.
The rumor machine did what it does.
And white Tulsa used that lie to unleash the violence that was already waiting beneath the surface.
They did not burn Greenwood because of one accusation.
They burned Greenwood because Black people had built something powerful.
They burned it because Black wealth, Black business, Black ownership, Black education, Black cooperation, and Black independence threatened their system.
Homes were destroyed.
Businesses were destroyed.
Families were displaced.
Lives were stolen.
And then, after all of that destruction, they found another way to rob the people.
They called it a riot.
That word mattered.
Because when they called it a riot, insurance companies could deny the claims.
The policies did not cover riots.
So the same system that failed to protect Black people then turned around and said:
We are not paying you.
That was not just violence.
That was theft.
That was a scam.
PART 1: They Burned Black Wall Street — But First, They Hated What We Built
Greenwood was not just a neighborhood.
It was proof.
Proof that Black people could build.
Proof that Black people could own.
Proof that Black people could educate, organize, trade, cooperate, and create an economic engine even inside the violence of Jim Crow America.
This was Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This was the Greenwood District.
This was Black Wall Street.
Doctors.
Lawyers.
Restaurants.
Hotels.
Barbershops.
Grocery stores.
Newspapers.
Theaters.
Churches.
Schools.
Homes.
Businesses.
An entire Black economic ecosystem.
And I’ve been there.
I’ve walked through Greenwood.
I’ve been on those streets — Greenwood, Archer, and Pine.
That’s where the GAP Band got its name from:
Greenwood.
Archer.
Pine.
Those were not just street names.
Those streets represented Black life, Black business, Black culture, Black movement, and Black possibility.
But white Tulsa saw that success.
And they hated it.
Before Greenwood was burned to the ground, it was envied.
Before it was destroyed, it was targeted.
Before the violence erupted, the resentment was already there.
Watch Part 1.
Then make sure you watch Part 2 to understand why Greenwood was burned to the ground — and why they called it a “riot.”
This is why Black history must be defended.
Urban Intellectuals is calling on 1,000 defenders of Black history.
Your $100 gives you 100 days of access to our Black history classes for adults or children.
All contributions are welcome.
Defend Urban Intellectuals.
Protect Black History.
Protect the Mission.
Go here:
https://store.urbanintellectuals.com/sp/defend/
Or comment DEFEND, and we’ll send you the information.
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Black History Should Not Have to Beg to Survive
Black history should not have to beg to survive.
But it does need defenders.
Urban Intellectuals has spent years creating tools that help families, children, adults, and communities learn the history they tried to erase.
Flashcards.
Books.
Classes.
Children’s programming.
Adult education.
Cultural experiences.
This work matters.
Not just during Black History Month.
Not just when it is trending.
Not just when it is convenient.
Black history is identity.
Black history is memory.
Black history is family.
Black history is power.
And right now, we are calling on 1,000 defenders of Black history to stand with us.
We are asking defenders to contribute $100.
Your $100 gives you 100 days of access to our Black history classes for adults or children.
All contributions are welcome.
Give more if you are moved to.
Give less if that is what you can do.
But do not sit on the sidelines while Black history is under attack.
Defend Urban Intellectuals.
Protect Black History.
Protect the Mission.
Go here to stand with us:
https://store.urbanintellectuals.com/sp/defend/
Or comment DEFEND, and we’ll send you the information.
Black history should not have to beg to survive.
But it does need people willing to stand.
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Your $100 is not just a donation.
It gives you 3 months of Sankofa Circle for adults or Sankofa Club for children.
That means your contribution helps protect Urban Intellectuals while also bringing Black history education into your family.
Adults need Sankofa Circle.
Children need Sankofa Club.
Our community needs both.
Stand with Urban Intellectuals. Protect Black history now.
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Jameis Winston Proves Why History Matters
This moment is bigger than football.
Jameis Winston took a locker room conversation and brought it back to Birmingham, Alabama — back to the 16th Street Baptist Church, back to the four little girls murdered there, and back to a history that is not nearly as far away as some people want to believe.
That history is still alive.
Freddie has been to Birmingham.
He has stood outside 16th Street Baptist Church.
He has been inside that church.
He has seen where the bomb was placed.
He has heard the story directly connected to the source.
And his father, born in 1929, is still alive at 96 years old.
He remembers that era.
So when Jameis says those girls could still be alive today, that is not just a powerful statement.
That is the truth.
Black history is not ancient history.
It is living memory.
It is context.
It is warning.
It is protection.
It is power.
And that is exactly why Urban Intellectuals must be defended.
Our children need to know this history.
Our adults need to know this history.
Our families need language for moments like this.
We are calling on 1,000 defenders of Black history to contribute $100.
Your $100 gives you 100 days of access to our Black history classes for adults or children.
All contributions are welcome.
Defend Urban Intellectuals.
Protect Black History.
Protect the Mission.
Go here to stand with us:
https://store.urbanintellectuals.com/sp/defend/
Or comment DEFEND, and we’ll send you the information.
Black history is not optional.
Black history must be defended.
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We need 1,000 defenders.
1,000 people willing to stand up and say Black history will not be erased on our watch.
Contribute $100 and receive 100 days of access to our Black history classes for adults or children.
All contributions are welcome.
Click the link in the bio labeled Defend Urban Intellectuals, or comment DEFEND to learn more.
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This is bigger than a fundraiser.
This is a call for defenders.
Urban Intellectuals is looking for 1,000 defenders of Black history to contribute $100 and help protect the work.
Your $100 gives you 100 days of access to our Black history classes for adults or children.
All contributions are welcome.
Click the link in the bio labeled Defend Urban Intellectuals, or comment DEFEND to learn more.
Hashtags
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Trump’s attacks on Black America are not isolated.
DEI rollbacks. Black history under fire. Voting access threatened. Federal jobs cut. Black symbols removed.
This is a pattern.
And it reminds us why Urban Intellectuals has to keep going.
Black history is being attacked, distorted, and erased — and our community needs independent Black institutions committed to telling the truth.
For 10 years, Urban Intellectuals has been creating tools and resources to help our families protect our history and pass it on.
Now we need your help to keep the doors open and the mission alive.
Comment SAVE or click the link in the bio to support the Save Urban Intellectuals campaign.
On This Day In Black History, May 27th