logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
30m 19s

Tulsa: The Attack on Black Wall Street

History Hit
About this episode

From May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked residents, homes and businesses in the predominantly Black ‘Greenwood District’ of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hundreds of people died or were injured in the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921— the event remains one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history.


Hannibal B. Johnson is an author and professor. He serves on the federal 400 Years of African-American History Commission and chaired the Education Committee for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. Hannibal joins Dan to discuss how Greenwood was known as ‘The Black Wall Street,’ the white supremacy that lay at the centre of the riot, and how the city grapples with its historical racial trauma today.


Click here to listen to a previous episode about The Tulsa Race Massacre.


Produced by Hannah Ward

Mixed and Mastered by Dougal Patmore


If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.

Up next
Yesterday
Knossos
You probably know the Ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, who lives in a labyrinth under Knossos on the island of Crete - was there ever really a labyrinth, or a King Minos? Dan is joined by the University of Oxford's Steve Kershaw to unravel the mysteries of Knossos, ... Show More
38m 41s
Aug 21
Emperor Nero
Emperor Nero has gone down in history as the archetypal bad ruler - cruel, decadent, and perhaps even responsible for setting Rome ablaze. But how much of this is fact, and how much is propaganda?Dr Shushma Malik from the University of Cambridge joins us to dive into Nero’s reign ... Show More
45m 16s
Aug 19
The Colosseum
Join Dan in Rome as he unravels the dramatic story of the Colosseum and the gladiators who fought — and died — for glory. From the origins of gladiatorial combat in funerary rites to the elaborate, politically charged spectacles of the Imperial era, Dan reveals what it took to re ... Show More
1h 12m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
The Tulsa Race Massacre
May 31, 1921. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a Black teenager is accused of assaulting a white woman, setting off the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history. This episode originally aired in 2023. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free lis ... Show More
15m 31s
May 2021
The Tulsa Race Massacre
Greenwood was a flourishing and prosperous black neighbourhood of Tulsa, often referred to as Black Wall Street. But in May 1921, a white mob descended on the district, destroying homes, businesses and lives. In this Witness History, Josephine Casserly talks to historian John W. ... Show More
9m 8s
May 2021
The Day Before The Tulsa Massacre (1921) w/ Cord Jefferson
It’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Donate today at https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn It’s May 30th. This day in 1921 was the day before a white mob descended on the Greenwood neighborhood of Tuls ... Show More
24m 45s
May 2021
Episode 1: The Past Is Present
This episode contains descriptions of graphic violence and racially offensive language. On May 31, 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District was a thriving Black residential and business community — a city within a city. By June 1, a white mob, with the support of law enforcemen ... Show More
35m 5s
May 2021
The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street
May 30, 1921. Dick Rowland, a Black teenager, works as a shoeshine in the predominantly white downtown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. On his break, he goes into a nearby office building to use the restroom, and gets on the elevator. Sarah Page, a white teenager, is the elevator operator. Wh ... Show More
26m 16s
May 2021
SYMHC Classics: Tulsa Massacre
This 2014 episode covers the devastation of "Black Wall Street," which was a nickname for Greenwood, a vibrant suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was destroyed in a racist attack in 1921.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/liste ... Show More
23m 25s
Jun 2021
The Burning of Black Tulsa
This episode includes disturbing language including racial slurs.In the early 20th century, Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was an epicenter of Black economic influence in the United States. However, in the early hours of June 1, 1921, a white mob — sanctioned by the Tulsa police — ... Show More
33m 56s
May 2021
Encore: Tulsa Race Massacre | The Promised Land | 1
In 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma boasted one of the nation’s most prosperous African-American communities. Greenwood was home to 108 Black-owned businesses, two theaters, 15 physicians, two newspapers, and a luxury hotel. It was nicknamed “the Black Wall Street.”Then, on May 30th, a Blac ... Show More
48m 32s
Jun 2019
Tulsa Race Massacre - Legacy and Lessons | 5
Nearly a century after a white mob leveled the affluent Tulsa district known as Black Wall Street, how is Greenwood faring? Mechelle Brown is the program coordinator for the Greenwood Cultural Center, which seeks to educate people about the rich history of the Greenwood District. ... Show More
34m 38s