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One hundred years ago, the United States experienced two of the most bloody and destructive days in its history. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, dozens perhaps hundreds of blacks were murdered by white mobs, and three dozen city blocks, previously filled with bustling enterprises and civic life, were burned to rubble. This was racism at its worst in America. Yet there are lessons from those dark and painful days that should give us wisdom and hope for a better today and tomorrow.
In 1921, the Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood was a shining example of progress and prosperity for blacks post-Civil War. The population of Tulsa had exploded by over 70,000 people from 1900 to 1920 due to the discovery of oil. Greenwood became home to 11,000 blacks. Racism was enshrined in strictly-enforced Jim Crow laws and segregation, yet blacks thrived by creating an independent community supported by and catering to the every need of its black residents.
Related Before Vanessa Hall-Harper won her District 1 City Council position in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2016, she talked extensively with her soon-to-be constituents and learned that food security was one of the most pressing issues for residents in North Tulsa. That’s why she made it a mission to place a moratorium on dollar stores and bring in healthy food options.
“In engaging with my community, the number one issue of concern that I heard was that we don’t have a grocery store in our community where we can go and shop, that all we have are dollar stores,” said Hall-Harper in a recent phone interview. “It’s something that I didn’t suffer from because I happen to have adequate transportation, so I could go anywhere in Tulsa to shop and get what I want. But obviously, there’s a large segment of my constituents that cannot.”