A century ago, hundreds of people died in a horrific eruption of racial violence in Tulsa. A team of researchers may have found a mass grave from the event.
Olivia Hooker in 2021 and 2018
On May 31, 1921, Olivia Hooker was six-years-old when white mobs launched an attack on the Greenwood section of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In less than 24 hours, the mobs destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses. It’s estimated as many as 300 people were killed. The Tulsa Race Massacre is considered one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history.
For decades, the events of 1921 were rarely discussed or taught in school. But in 1971, Impact Magazine editor Don Ross published one of the first accounts of the race riots in nearly 50 years. He went on to become a state representative and, along with State Senator Maxine Horner, is credited with bringing national attention to the buried history.
Black Wall Street was a thriving community in Tulsa's Greenwood District. Business owners, lawyers and more helped build the area into one of the most prominent neighborhoods in Tulsa.
In 1997, Senator Maxine Horner, along with Reps. Don Ross and Leonard Sullivan, introduced House Joint Resolution 1035, which would create the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot Commission.