It was the worst race riot, or pogrom, in American history. And no, it had nothing to do with Black Lives Matter, even though Trump supporters would likely want everyone to believe that this is the case. They might want you to believe that the worst race riot in American history would be the recent Black Lives Matter riots, or perhaps the one in Ferguson a few years back, or perhaps the L.A. riots in 1992, or the race riots of the late 1960's.
In fact, the worst race riot in history was perpetrated by whites, who were incensed by what turned out to be a fictional event: the attempted rape of a white woman by a black man, Dick Rowland. It was not proven, of course, and as it turns out. Yet a nearby white man had heard a woman screaming, then saw a black man running from the scene, and assumed the worst.
In retaliation for that alleged crime, the mob set out to lynch Rowland, but the sheriff held them back. A gunfight ensued, and 10 whites were killed. After that, the mob wanted blood, and they targeted what was then known as “Black Wall Street,” a section of Tulsa where prosperous blacks enjoyed perhaps the highest standard of living of any black community in the entire country, possibly.
The Tulsa race massacre started on May 31st and went through to the morning of June 1st. By the end, what had once been the most successful black business district in the country now lay in ruins, resembling a bombed out war zone. Something like 35 square blocks of the city - the district that had come to be known as "black Wall Street" - had been destroyed. It never recovered.
The truth of this story only seemed to have become known to the American public in recent history, over the last few years. It had largely been buried and unknown until recently, a forgotten piece of American history. Clearly, not a chapter to be proud of.
It happened 100 years ago on May 31st and into today, June 1st, in Tulsa. Today, let us remember this dark chapter of American history.
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