GeordieMark
Member
Yeah. There is a massive disconnect between reality and what kids are taught about the empire.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
The history behind The destruction of Black Wall Street (1921 bombings)
- Thread starter Black Republican
- Start date
- Status
Yeah. There is a massive disconnect between reality and what kids are taught about the empire.
It's always a pleasure to hear how they used leftover WWI planes to bombard the neighborhood.
I mean can you imagine returning from war only to have it return?
I will admit that I only learned of this even last year via A.P. U.S. history, which mentioned it as an atrocity but did not go as fully in-depth as needed.
I mean can you imagine returning from war only to have it return?
I will admit that I only learned of this even last year via A.P. U.S. history, which mentioned it as an atrocity but did not go as fully in-depth as needed.
King Tubby
Member
It's always infuriating hearing the "Black people need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps" horseshit when those bootstraps keep getting burned to the ground.
Confusion Illusion
Banned
It is infuriating reading this stuff. I live in Canada and I don't remember being taught much about black history, especially in high school where it was mostly focused on turn of the century, World War 1 and 2.
The car is also always taught as a great invention and the highway system was awesome.
What they never mention is that the building of highways and freeways were routinely used to wipe minority neighborhoods off the map and wall them off from the rest of the city when they couldn't.
VanillaCakeIsBurning
Member
First time I found out about this was from NeoGAF. There was absolutely zero mention of this in class when we dealt with history concerning the US.
I would love to see this used as the go to response to people who suggest that black people need to pull up their boot straps.
I would love to see this used as the go to response to people who suggest that black people need to pull up their boot straps.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
The "winners" always write the history. Never forget this, about any subject.
Really?
Seems like its changed from when I were a lad
Back then it was The British were utter shits to everyone buut also marginally less evil than the other colonial powers.
Captin Quacker
Member
So crazy that the catalyst for most of these stories is black man + white woman= angry white mob
TheLaughingStock
Member
Tough to decide which is sadder. When folks of all stripes say blacks deserve less or need to wait for a better time. Or when blacks drive over the Woodrow Wilson bridge without a second thought, talk about the roaring 20s under guys like Coolidge, celebrate the work of Bill Clinton, etc. I just don't know what we can do to start taking the steps to make things right.
Shit is sickening to read, I'm not surprised it happened, sadly, more surprised it's the kind of shit you don't hear about. and then, not surprised at that either :/
I went to a minority dominated school in the mid 90s too, you'd think this kind of shit would come up during things like the LA riots and OJ trial and all of that, it was definitely not the sort of subject that would've been out of place with what we talked about, but reality is so much worse than what they want you to believe it was sometimes I guess.
I went to a minority dominated school in the mid 90s too, you'd think this kind of shit would come up during things like the LA riots and OJ trial and all of that, it was definitely not the sort of subject that would've been out of place with what we talked about, but reality is so much worse than what they want you to believe it was sometimes I guess.
Angelus Errare
Banned
White women were (and still are) seen less as individuals and more as property, to see a black man with something they "owned" especially in the 20s was an affront equal to denying God. So they feel the need to put those blacks in their place. Also there's the whole "they're raping our women" narrative...that's still prevalent today (despite the fact from the 1600s to early 1900s...racist white men were in fact raping black women with no consequence).
Then add in many times there was no white woman, it's just a convenient boogeyman they could use to justify the murders.
Skellig Gra
Member
I was telling my wife about this a couple weeks ago. She was shocked she had never heard about it before. She has a lot more faith in humanity than me.
Because then you'd have to point out that it was conservatives that destroyed those communities.
It's exactly the kind of historical atrocity you'd expect to find in a high school history book, to give a substantive example of the harrowing events taking place even post-slavery before the civil rights movement. They tend to gloss over things talking about separate water fountains and such without getting to the truest heart of the matter. I don't remember anything like this being taught in school, and it should have been.
They did make a movie about Rosewood. But yeah, there need to be more.
And I'm not sure half the people who watched Rosewood didn't think it was just "generic movie about Jim Crow".
Or Maine's governor LePage.
Byakuya769
Member
Not a lot has changed. Now instead of violence, any internal attempt to build successful and supportive black communities are met with cries of "reverse racism" and "I understand the reason for supporting black businesses but it is simply racist and doesn't help."
Charges no other ethnic community seems to have continually lobbed at it despite it blatantly being how many such communities build economic power and sufficiency.
Charges no other ethnic community seems to have continually lobbed at it despite it blatantly being how many such communities build economic power and sufficiency.
I heard the failure of this film was one of the reasons black films like this are not made? Spike Lee argued it's easier to make another Tyler Perry film than it is for John Singleton to make another Rosewood because the former can make shitty films that are reviewed poorly that make a shit tonne of money, the latter makes a well-reviewed film that flops.
See this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ciwhh3fB6vE
Edit I know he was talking specifically about Boyz N the Hood rather than Tyler Perry but still.
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
Black people in Hollywood need to put their money together (or just borrow from Oprah) and make movies on events like these. This is absolutely horrifying stuff, and hell even the perfect tragedy for Oscars.
Regardless of the cynicism in my post above, I think its important that these events get put on film. I had no clue that this happened.
Regardless of the cynicism in my post above, I think its important that these events get put on film. I had no clue that this happened.
The part that always gets me is that there were fucking planes throwing fire bombs from above. It was less a riot and more a war. I don't think "riot" does it justice.
I agree about the lack of films about it. I think people are mostly just too afraid of it(also a lack of knowledge). I mean, people raised a fuss about the Jackie Robinson film and that's freaking baseball. Would love to see this with a big budget told from a young black female perspective as the lead.
I agree about the lack of films about it. I think people are mostly just too afraid of it(also a lack of knowledge). I mean, people raised a fuss about the Jackie Robinson film and that's freaking baseball. Would love to see this with a big budget told from a young black female perspective as the lead.
xVaalbarAx
Member
As a Tulsan, thank you for sharing this to GAF.
This is a such a dark moment for the city, I still remember reading about this when I was 15 years old in Oklahoma History class and breaking down crying. I just won't understand why races have to hate each other to the point that they will destroy communities because of one crazy rumor.
All there is left of Greenwood is a barber shop, a burger joint, and the Tulsa Drillers baseball field. So thank you OP for sharing this.
This is a such a dark moment for the city, I still remember reading about this when I was 15 years old in Oklahoma History class and breaking down crying. I just won't understand why races have to hate each other to the point that they will destroy communities because of one crazy rumor.
All there is left of Greenwood is a barber shop, a burger joint, and the Tulsa Drillers baseball field. So thank you OP for sharing this.
So that the history of these events can get buried and ignored by the masses all over again? Sure, there are those that wouldn't turn a blind eye to media that would bring this to light. Many would support it. But lets be honest, most white people would rather burn themselves with hot utensils than have to sit through a couple of hours of expose' on their own ugly history. These events do not begin, nor end with those fateful days and nights.
In any event, any of Black Hollywood that comes hard with something like this had better make peace with their careers to that point. Because they sure as hell aren't going to have that, or anything else after.
Yeah but with the recent shitshow over #OscarsSoWhite the time is right to make it really impossible for serious historical period drama of this sort to be overlooked come awards season.
When did you take your Oklahoma History class? I'm assuming it was post 1999 (when the state actually started to mention it)?
In the early/mid-90s when I took the state history class (around 15/16 also), no mention of anything about this. Now with hindsight, I'm pretty angry it was never brought up.
Considering how popular hood movies , Tyler Perry films and even 12 years a slave are, why do you think it's unrealistic Black People will pay for these films or that they won't have mainstream appeal. I'd add Spike Lee films to that too.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
Selma came out one year ago, was well-reviewed, and had Oprah in it, and white people didn't care. We'd even get people saying dumbass shit about BLM bridge blocks and marches like "MLK would've never done that" despite there being this recent mainstream movie about exactly that.
Spike Lee has to use Kickstarter to make movies now.
How many people actually watched 12 Years a Slave? Award season is fluff. It has nothing to do with the masses being educated, or even willing to embrace history or each other.
The bolded raised my eyebrows. Might as well add the Wayan movies to the list.
Also, Spike Lee has been very vocal about how well his films do, broken down by demographic. He's also very vocal about how many doors have been shut to him and the people that he's worked with because of "controversial" subject matter.
Forearm Star
Member
Amazing Post OP, great read.
I love and hate reading these sorts of things, and its even more infuriating knowing some of this history will go unnoticed.
I love and hate reading these sorts of things, and its even more infuriating knowing some of this history will go unnoticed.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Crazy, terrible stuff... Using airplanes to bomb the town with dynamite? What in the world?
Really sad that this stuff has historically been swept under the rug. I guess we can only be thankful that the Internet has allowed for this stuff to be surfaced a bit more.
Really sad that this stuff has historically been swept under the rug. I guess we can only be thankful that the Internet has allowed for this stuff to be surfaced a bit more.
12 years a Slave is far more 'tame' subject matter as everyone agrees how terrible slavery was. Comparatively recent events that many desperately want to forget or have been pretty successfully brushed under the carpet are far more astonishing.
And I'm not saying that any one movie will suddenly change the mindset of an entire nation. A steady stream of these kinds of movies and the publicity bump that they are much more likely to get now because of a suddenly far more confident and active and vocal set of African American celebrities around awards season would be incredibly effective in continuing to shift the conversation though.
About as effective as campaigning to have this history placed back into our text books with the proper, truthful context.
Sounds ludicrous and damn near impossible doesn't it? Now get a handful of black Hollywood types to do what has been attempted by other black industry folk and allies for decades, and suddenly pull it off.
Shit, even PBS is under fire, under funded, and threatened for their historical and educational content.
I'm not even sure what you're saying honestly. It's all futile and do nothing?
No, not really. I guess I'm saying that it's going to take a more concerted effort than "those people over there should do something about it". Same old bullshit sympathy from a distance line. Same old acceptable solutions to immediate hand wringing that goes nowhere. Addressing the issue of the history being buried, but not the reality of the state of black communities today, and what can be done for the people left in the wake of all of this. Nothing changes if it's always someone else's fight and not OUR fight.
xVaalbarAx
Member
It was 2007 when I was a freshman in high school, I didn't even know they didn't talked about it, we talked about it for at least a week.
nitekrawlwer
Member
I remember my first time reading about this. It still boils my blood. Especially when I hear people talk as if the harm that America has done to blacks was done over 150 years ago.
Saint Gregory
Member
That's what I was always told too but how can we explain the recent rewriting of history regarding the civil war and reasons behind it?
Funky Papa
FUNK-Y-PPA-4
I read about this a while ago. The thing that shocked me the most was the usage of actual warplanes to bomb the population. Pure insanity. That was well beyond race riot and almost into civil war territory.
Regarding films et all, Cinemax's The Knick (which is excellent, quite easily one of the best shows on TV) features a episode set during a fictionalized version of the Tenderloin's 1900 race riot. While made up for the show, it was incredibly tense and revolting at the same time.
Regarding films et all, Cinemax's The Knick (which is excellent, quite easily one of the best shows on TV) features a episode set during a fictionalized version of the Tenderloin's 1900 race riot. While made up for the show, it was incredibly tense and revolting at the same time.
Yeah, the state didn't start acknowledging it until 2001 after a three year "inquiry" (whatever that means) that started in 1999.
Essentially they were ashamed and hid it for 80 or so years. "Oh, hundreds of people died and a community pretty much wiped from the history books? Yeah, we should maybe give that a nod." - Someone finally said.
Might as well whitewash the Trail of Tears while you're at it where thousands of Native Americans died. Oklahoma history is kind of f'd up. Then again, US history is in general. I didn't learn about Japanese Internment Camps until I was in college and that's absolutely something that should be general education in a US history class.
They got paid for all the slaves they had to let go and were given land. They won, too.
Angelus Errare
Banned
Yup, they basically got reparations. Really fucked when you think about it.
theignoramus
Member
Yup.
IrishNinja
Member
goddamn, that hit like a ton of bricks - knew of the incident, but not the full scope. and of course it was a rape accusation on a black dude to justify the atrocities
aside: had the exact same reaction (several times, in fact) explaining the us gov'ts hand in the crack epidemic. shit i thought common knowledge gets called "conspiracy theory" even in recent years
hey now, it's about state's rights, pal
true
what's even worse is just imagine a district like this today, and the amount of discrediting/etc it would get - by those usually cheering the loudest about entrepreneurship/etc...it'd be an ugly symbol of how little we've come from then
aside: had the exact same reaction (several times, in fact) explaining the us gov'ts hand in the crack epidemic. shit i thought common knowledge gets called "conspiracy theory" even in recent years
hey now, it's about state's rights, pal
the right to own people
true
what's even worse is just imagine a district like this today, and the amount of discrediting/etc it would get - by those usually cheering the loudest about entrepreneurship/etc...it'd be an ugly symbol of how little we've come from then
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked