Greenwood Remembers

I had decided to move back east to Baltimore, and on the drive across the country I stopped in Tulsa to spend some time in the Greenwood District.

Greenwood was once known as Black Wall Street, a thriving Black community destroyed by a white mob in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. At John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, the Tower of Reconciliation and its sculptures tell that story of hostility, humiliation and hope. Nearby, Black Lives Matter stretched across the pavement in bold letters, and murals throughout the city spoke of kindness, empowerment and pride. Fog wrapped the downtown towers, giving the whole city a quiet, reflective feel.

Standing in Greenwood, I felt the weight of what was taken and the strength of a community that refused to be erased. It was a powerful place to pause on the road to my next home.