Black Wall Street...Tulsa, Oklahoma

Back in 1906 a very young man by the name of O.W. Gurley moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in hopes of acquiring land via the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889. O.W. Gurley had been a wealthy land owner in Arkansas, something extremely rare for an African-American during this critical period after Reconstruction. Many African-Americans came to reside in Oklahoma during the period of the forced Indian relocation actions undertaken by the U.S. Government against the "Five Civilized Tribes". Large numbers of ex-slaves traveled with the various Indian tribes along the "Trail of Tears" in a dangerous and bitter march across America that surplanted each groups into Resettlement Camps in Oklahoma.

Gurley moved to Tulsa, Okla. and purchased 40 acres of land. Again, something very rare for an African-American in the state. The property had been reserved for purchase by "only colored people". One of the first businesses he started and located on his property was a rooming house located on a "dusty road" later to be known as the Greenwood Section. Due to strict segregation laws his rooming house business thrived from Negro patrons traveling West through Tulsa escaping Southern oppression and brutal Jim Crow laws.

Later Gurley built three two-story office buildings that housed many prosperous black businesses including lawyers, doctors, dentists, realtors, barbers and beauty salons. With businesses flourishing and developing, Greenwood Section, named after a town in Mississippi, would be referred to as America's Black Wall Street. During the Oil Boom of the 1910's Oklahoma was growing and thriving and Greenwood Section of Tulsa was no exception. At the time 10,000 African American's resided in the Greenwood Section and the money circulated within the community, which was a bonanza for the Black Wall Street. As a result Black Wall Street would become a model for all African-American business communities throughout the Nation who were experimenting and participating in American capitalism.

At its height in 1921 the Greenwood Section of Tulsa, Oklahoma was home to over 600 successful African-American businesses that included the Gurley Hotel & Billiard parlor, 21 churches, 21 restaurants, 30 grocery stores, 2 movie theatres, bank, hospital, post office, and library. They also established a bus system to ferry customers within the business thoroughfare.

Ironically the success of America's Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Okla was aided by the success of Jim Crow laws that forced the African-American community to become much more self-sustaining and interdependent. This led to the resentment and envy by much of Tulsa's white population. These same groups, individuals and city and county officials, that rigidly enforced the very brutal and draconian Jim Crow laws that were designed to impede African-American participation and assimilation into American society were now somewhat responsible for the creation of a very prosperous Black Wall Street.

During the Oil Boom little attention was paid by Tulsa's white citizens and business groups towards the economic success of the Greenwood Section of town. At the time the everyday goings on's by the residents in that community didn't matter much to white city business leaders or public officials. Segregation laws were enforced and apparently accepted in some manner of peaceful co-existence by both racial groups. Therefore the opportunities in Tulsa during Boom Time, for all businesses large and small were starting to develop rapidly. Talk of building and creating manufacturing facilities in Greenwood and businesses outside of traditional service operations were beginning to be discussed due to World War I and the increased demand of U.S. made military products. This demand for manufactured products was occurring during the early stages of the industrial revolution in America. Black entrepreneurs in Tulsa were beginning to emerge in large numbers and their business ideas were expanding as well. Greenwood Section and America's Black Wall Street was becoming an incubator for Black businesses throughout America.

However tensions between the races that had been festering in the City of Tulsa for some time were now coming to the surface. Angry Whites who were not part of the Oil Boom and were not prospering during this time began open hostilities towards the black residents of Greenwood. Attacks on residents of Greenwood increased and combined by a total lack of police protection for them by the Tulsa police department the Greenwood Section was under constant assault, White hate groups acted openly and with impunity. Enter the KKK.

All it would take was a malicious spark...something that would precipitate one of the worst race riots in United States history and result in the total destruction of an entire community in a... matter of hours!

Whether or not O.W. Gurley purpose when he started his business was to build a personal empire or establish a business model for the Negro community he did succeed in creating a "Vision". This "Vision" allowed former slaves to survive in a peaceful and self-sustaining environment far different and far removed from the hostilities and everyday anquish of plantation life in the Mississippi South.

There was genuine hope and aspirations for those on Greenwood Street. Families were developing as the business community was thriving and expanding. This was a very positive image to be broadcast within the Negro community nationwide during this period in American history. Ex-slaves becoming pioneers heading West to create a prosperous environment. Full participation and equal rights within the America political system would be aided by the developments on this "dusty road" in Oklahoma. The world would be watching closing as negative stereotypes of Negroes in America would continue to be dispelled and eroded with the prominence of the Black Wall Street.

What could possibly go wrong?

In 1917 America experienced the most horrific race riot of its history...East St. Louis Ill. was the city and the Nation was devastated by the deaths and hostiles that resulted. Many attribute the riot to a confluence of striking white workers at various plants and factories in East St. Louis with the "Great Migration" of Negroes from the South. White workers were demanding higher wages and they were fighting management. They strongly opposed and resented Negroes for taking their jobs as replacements. Former slaves and free Negroes trying to escape the poverty and brutality of the deep South particularly Mississippi were seeking a new life as well in East St. Louis.Trade jobs and skills were in demand there and they were willing to work at cheaper wages to secure them.

At the time worker's union did not recruit or accept Negroes into their ranks nor did they want them in their ranks. Management clashed the two groups against each other since many of the white workers were ex-Confederate soldiers along with their families migrating from the South themselves but still carrying their hatred and bitteness towards Negroes with them.

Fostered by a clearing inaccurate newspaper account of a racial incident involving the death of a white man and a Negro assailant, scores of heavily armed white vigilantes went on a killing spree and rampage of terror that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of East St. Louis, Ill . African-Americans. They burned scores of buildings, churches, businesses, schools and establishments throughout the Negro community.

On June 1, 1921 America's second worst race riot in its history occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On that day 35 square blocks of homes and businesses were torched and totally destroyed by angry white mobs. Again, exactly similiar with the riot in East St. Louis a totally inaccurate and planted newspaper account of a racially charged incident resulted in...America's Black Wall Street going up in a blaze. In a matter of hours 600 businesses were lost. Men, women, children were indiscriminately murdered, beaten and lynched from trees by the mobs of white men as the black residents unsuspecting as they went about their daily lives that morning, not realizing until it was too late what was occuring. Residents were forced to flee into the rural areas for their own protection since none was forthcoming from the City of Tulsa Police Department. In fact, the Tulsa City police began arresting armed Negro men trying themselves to protect their families from the marauding mobs. Fire fighters were prevented at gunpoint by the angry mob from putting out the fires on Greenwood Street, to the glee of white onlookers... Greenwood Street burned to the ground.

Property damage was estimated to be in excess of 1.5 million dollars (1921) and hundreds of deaths were reported although some put the number of deaths much higher. Every business O.W. Gurley owned and created was destroyed. Every structure he built was destroyed by this riot. Every black business he helped on Greenwood Section to incubate was destroyed. On the heels of the East St. Louis race riot this was devastation at its worst.

How would America's Black Wall Street survive this?

It would take five plus years for the African-American community of Tulsa, Oklahoma to rebuild the Greenwood Section of town. The community would again flourish but mostly in the music industry with jazz clubs, blues clubs and recording facilities. Leading into the "Roaring Twenties" and just prior to the "Great Depression" of the late 1920's businesses began to sprout up again and resident regained their foothold starting in the mid 1920's and the years immediately following . However beginining in the 1950's urban renewals projects and other factors caused the splitting apart of the Greenwood section of town. This resulted IMO in a fracturing of the business community and resulted in a lost mindset of a self-sustainment and interdependence that once made Black Wall Street unique and successful.

The Greenwood Cultural Center now stands as a tribute to the history of Greenwood Street and the Black Wall Street movement of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Check it out whenever you are in the City. It is a amazing story indeed.

O.W. Gurley was a visionary and His-Story needs to be told... and the history of America's Black Wall Street needs to be as well.

Not so sure what could have been...without the destruction of the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921.

However, it should not be too hard to speculate that if the Greenwood Section had continued to grow, thrive and move in the direction it was headed, then black businesses from Black Wall Street would have continued to weave themselves deeper into mainstream American economic commerce.

Perhaps there would have emerged a Gurley Automotive Co. now among the Top Five Auto manufacturers in the world. Perhaps a banking empire incubated from within Black Wall Street circles would now be providing business loans to businesses of all races and backgrounds to help stimulate the U.S. economy. Perhaps there would be major companies of various industries owned by the descendants of Black Wall Street employing countless persons seeking jobs in Tulsa, Oklahoma and elsewhere. Perhaps that's... What Could Have Been...?