Thursday, October 13, 5:00 pm–6:00 pm
Tulsa South
in-person session will be live streamed
session will be recorded and available for later viewing online
Sponsored by the AFS Local Planning Committee and the American Folklore Society
Quraysh Ali Lansana (Tri-City Collective)
Carlos A Moreno (Tri-City Collective)
As the crescendo of the international spotlight for the centennial commemoration of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre took place in 2021, the stories of generations of people who call the Greenwood District in Tulsa home were often overshadowed by the sensational retelling of the few hours it took to burn it down. In order to share the rich history of the culture of Greenwood, Tulsa Artist fellow and author Quraysh Ali Lansana and community activist and author Carlos Moreno, will take a detailed dive into the long story of the neighborhood. Beginning with the Trail of Tears which led to a great presence of Afro-Indigenous communities in Oklahoma territory, Lansana will provide an overview of Oklahoma pre-statehood, the formation of Black towns—including the Greenwood District—and racial tensions leading up to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Framing the second “life” of the neighborhood, Moreno, will walk through the aftermath of the massacre, how Greenwood residents rebuilt, and the ways urban renewal has changed the landscape of the district present day.