It was arguably the worst race riot ever.
THE TULSA LUNCHING OF 1921: A HIDDEN STORY, debuting Wednesday,
May 31 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Cinemas Reel Life, unfolds an ugly page of
American history that is currently back in the news, after having been
kept out of sight for more than 75 years.
At the turn of the 20th century,
Tulsa, Oklahoma, was known as the Oil Capital of the world, boasting the
highest per-capita wealth of any city. Its Greenwood section, a well-to-do-neighborhood
of leafy streets and beautiful homes, was a magnet for middle-class African
Americans seeking economic independence. Elsewhere in Tulsa, there was
a Ku Klux Klan chapter with more than 3,000 members.
The Klan, which had all but disappeared
within 15 years of its founding in 1865, enjoyed a revival in 1915 thanks
to the success of D.W. Griffith's epic motion picture Birth of a Nation,
Based on the best selling book, "The Klansman, Birth of a Nation" was seen
as a recruitment firm by thousands of whites, many of whom returned from
World War I armed and unemployed.
As told by eyewitnesses in THE TULSA
LUNCHING OF 1921: A HIDDEN STORY, on Monday morning, May 30, 1921,
a 19-year old African-American-bootblack named Dick Rowland stumbled while
getting into an elevator in downtown Tulsa and accidentally bumped the
white, female elevator operator. The young woman's startled cries - and
people's assumptions that she had been assaulted - touched off a series
of events that would result in the obliteration of a community.
Spurred on by the Tulsa Tribune, which
15 years of its founding in 1865, enjoyed a revival in 1915 thanks with
a blatant call from a lynching, hordes of white men surrounded the courthouse
where Rowland was locked up. As a small group of African Americans approached
the courthouse, determined to protect Rowland, a shot rang out and pandemonium
ensured.
The next day, thongs of white men, some
500 of whom had been named "special deputies" by the police department,
went house to house in Greenwood, killing or rounding up every African
American man, woman and child. The homes were stripped of valuables and
then burned to the ground.
1,200 homes were destroyed. Another 320
were looted. More than 4,000 African Americans were left homeless and some
1,000 were still living in tents throughout the ensuring harsh winter.
According to Red Cross estimates, at
least 300 African Americans died that day. The official death toll was
36.
Charges against Dick Rowland were dismissed.
No one knows what happened to him or the elevator operator.
Back in the news more than 75 years later,
an Oklahoma state commission has recently recommended that surviving victims
be compensated with reparations and that a public memorial be erected.
The state legislature is currently reviewing the commission's proposal.
THE TULSA LYNCHING OF 1921: A HIDDEN
STORY, written and directed by Michael Wilkerson, chronicles the Oklahoma
events, using the personal recollection of survivors and witnesses, comments
from historians and recently discovered photos. Documents of the time,
including newspaper accounts and writings of eyewitnesses are read by a
troupe of noted actors led by Tulsa native Alfre Woodard.
THE TULSA LYNCHING OF 1921: A HIDDEN
STORY is written, directed and produced by Michael Wilerson. Narrated
by John Vernon. For Cinemax Reel Life: Nancy Abraham, Supervising Producer;
Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer.