Destruction of Black Wall Street - 1921 Tulsa Race Riot - Part 2

Death of Renowned Surgeon

Dr. Arthur C. Jackson, a nationally renowned surgeon and former president of the State Medical Association, was a prominent, well-respected black physician in Tulsa. Many of his patients were white families. Dr. Jackson was gunned down as he ran from his burning house and was left to bleed to death with no medical care.

Countless Atrocities 

Mount Zion Baptist Church set ablaze. Tulsa Race Riot 1921
Above is a photo of the Mount Zion Baptist Church ablaze.
Space does not permit describing all the atrocities that occurred on June 1, 1921. It goes beyond what a person can imagine.  After taking most of the male population captive, after the looting, then came the torching. Some thirty-plus blocks of businesses and neighborhoods went up in smoke.  Little or nothing was left.  How many people from the Greenwood community died, no one will ever know.

Rather than disarming and arresting white rioters and turning them back, the Tulsa police and the National Guard assisted in rounding up the black citizens who had been taken captive.

Prisoners of War

The citizens of Greenwood lost their homes, family members, possessions, businesses, churches, and most ironically of all – their freedom.  They had become prisoners of war in their own community.

Over 6,000 people were held at the Convention Hall and the Fairgrounds, some for as long as eight days. From June 1 until July 7, no black individual was allowed to move freely about the area without a special green card.  The only way to procure a green card was to have the signature of a white employer. This meant those who had owned their own businesses were out of luck.

 

 Click to dive into the first title of the exciting Tulsa Series.

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