Black Wall Street, 100 years ago

The term Black Wall Street refers to a flourishing community of Black-owned small businesses in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 20th century. The area was destroyed in the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, and along with it, all of the Black wealth in the area. Today, author Hannibal Johnson joins us to unpack the history of Tulsa's Black Wall Street. He helps paint a picture of the entrepreneurial spirit of Black Wall Street at its peak, despite the crushing prevalence of Jim Crow Laws throughout the country at the time. Johnson also walks us through the devastating impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre on the area. He emphasizes the massacre, which is often left out of history books, as one of many disruptions of Black businesses and wealth throughout history that have contributed to the Black-white wealth gap in America. If you want to read more about the history of Black Wall Street, check out these articles by: History The Wall Street Journal CNN PBS