The Destruction of Black Wall Street

     One particular instance of displacement that has always piqued my interest is that of what was known as Black Wall Street. Black Wall Street was a neighborhood in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was an area where Black people lived and thrived. They owned several businesses, and overall, they just had a wonderful neighborhood with a flourishing business district. There were grocery stores, barbershops, doctor's offices, real estates businesses, and schools. However, all of that came to a halt when the Tulsa Massacre happened. Not only were countless people injured and killed due to the violence but so many of the businesses and homes were destroyed, and this negatively impacted the financial status of the Black people in the area.

    I find it overly disgusting that hate and racism caused the displacement of people and businesses in a community that they felt safe in. I do believe reparations could be a good solution. I know many of these people counted on their businesses as a way to create and sustain generational wealth. Since their businesses were destroyed and they were setback, I think reparations to any of the living business owners and community members as well as their descendants would be sufficient. These reparations could help compensate for the financial losses their families experienced after the massacre; although it could never make up for the emotional and mental trauma, it is a start. 




Comments

  1. Maya Writ 150February 14, 2022 at 1:39 PM

    Hi Jadalyn,
    I think this issue is super important, and its awesome that youre writing about it, since I have never heard of the region, and raising awareness is one of the most important parts of making reparations. I think it would also be awesome to see you relate this to other events of a similar nature that have happened in other parts of the US. Can't wait to hear more about your solutions!

    ReplyDelete
  2. TgibbsFebruary 23, 2022 at 12:37 PM

    Hello! This issue also enrages me, thank you for talking about this. I also can't wait to hear the solutions you propose!

    ReplyDelete

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