BLACK WALLSTREET (Based on a true Story)

What led me to pick up a book called Black Wallstreet?

Back in October a friend invited me to a play that he was in called "Black Metropolis" at Jordia studios in Manhattan. And since I love to go to plays, and I wanted to support him I agreed to go. I had no idea what the play was about; I just figured that it would be about a community of black people just by hearing the title. And once I got to the play and began to watch it I wasn't too far off either. I knew that it was going to be interesting because it was a packed house.

So to make a long story short, The play was about a successful black community located in Tulsa, Oklahoma that was well known for it "Black Wallstreet" during the early 1900's. The play turned out wonderful but after seeing the play, I assumed that it was based on a fictional story but nothing that could ever be true.

But on my way home from the play I stopped by my dad's business before I went home. Of course we began to talk, and I had informed him that I just came from Manhattan and that I saw a play called "Black Metropolis". I gave him a quick run down about what the play was about and then he informed me that it was actually based on a true story called Black Wallstreet, and that he may even have a book.

So he disappeared into the next room, and I could hear him rummaging through some things. He came back into his office where I was standing about five minutes later with a huge box filled with books. He sat the big box on his desk and started going through the entire box as I watched. Finally, he pulled out a black and red book with the words Black Wallstreet written across the front in big red letters. So now I was curious, and I had to go home and start to read it.

First here is a little history about the journey to write this book...

Black Wallstreet is a book that was written based on real life black history. Apparently, the authors Jay Jay Wilson and Ron Wallace went to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1990 and began to research this country's worse race riot. After they had arrived in Tulsa, OK a couple other gentlemen joined them in their research and the journey to spread the word about the first and the last successful all black society. They also wanted the nation to know about Tulsa's ugly secret that had been kept a secret for almost 70 years. Because of these brave men the truth about why Black Wallstreet had been shut down was exposed. Unfortunately,as they went on to spread the word a few of these men had mysteriously disappeared including author Ron Wallace. (Things that make you go hmmm...)

So now here comes the book review...

According to the book, in the early 1900's blacks as well as other races were pushed further and further north onto unsettled land, while the whites settled upon land that was already developed. So many blacks were forced to make North Tulsa, Oklahoma their home. But to the surprise of the whites in the surrounding neighborhoods they developed the land and became successful businessmen and women as well as the first black community that was doing extremely well for themselves. They were wealthy merchants and businessmen that kept their money circulating in their own community. These blacks turned a main street called Greenwood Avenue into a thriving and successful business center.

Greenwood Avenue had made a name for itsself all over the country and had been given the name Black Wallstreet by the businessmen on Wall Street in NYC. Greenwood Avenue had all black owned businesses with the exception of a few grocery stores and small other shops that were owned by Jews. Greenwood Avenue contained a movie theater, banks, restaurants, lounges, cleaners, hotels, and a church just to name a few.

They were doing so well that they didn't need any outside help from the neighboring white communities. They didn't even need to go to them for business or home owners loans because they had their own banks right in their own community. They were so wealthy that the whites began to come to Greenwood Avenue to get business loans. The white did not like this at all an waited for a chance to destroy Greenwood Avenue all together.

Their was a severe tension brewing between North Tulsa which was an all black community and South Tulsa which was an all white community. Soon many of the black business men began to invest their money outside of Tulsa because there had been gossip that the empire that they had creatd may soon come to an end. This gossip became a reality one day. Hundreds of whites traveld from South Tulsa into North Tulsa and began shooting at the blacks. The blacks were prepared ,and they also had their own weapons to fight back with. It was a strong fight until the whites began bombing Greenwood Avenue from the sky. Thousands of black people were killed, businesses were destroyed, and homes were lost during this riot. Many of the black people that were't able to escape were put into concentration camps which was considered to be the black holocaust.

Hate is a serious and evil thing that we deal with in our world. A strong black community that had flourished had been reduced to rubble in a matter of 24 hours.

The book also gave the reader a glimpse of how minorites were treated and how whites looked down on other races because the Jews and other racial groups were treated just as inferior. The book also focused on how segregated the whites were from all the other races. Reading this book made me realize that no matter how succesful and wealthy that black people would get, they were still looked at as niggers and would be lynched at the drop of a hat because white supremacy groups like the KKK and White Anglo Saxon Protestants were very active and open in those times. But when I think about where blacks stand in America now, it is pretty much the same minus the public lynchings and the violence. The book aslo focused on how black people stuck together and fought for what was theirs until the very end. The black community was very strong and united in those times.  

Many black people like myself have never heard of Black Wallstreet, and I think that it is important for black people to learn their history. If blacks could just unite like those in previous years(ie. Black Panthers, Harriet Tubman, Matin Luther King Jr., etc.) then maybe Greenwood avenue could be resurrected somewhere in this country someday. Anything is possible...

Book Review Written By: Kenya L. Noel
Follow me on Twitter @Ms_Noel