Africana Studies Books on Reserve

In 1921, the Tulsa, Oklahoma neighborhood of Greenwood was one of the most affluent all-black communities in America. Known as the ""Black Wall Street,"" it covered 40 square blocks and boasted more than 600 businesses and 15,000 residents. THE NIGHT TULSA BURNED tells the long-buried tale of the tragic hours that brought Greenwood to a fiery end, and the misunderstanding that prompted the violence. The story is told through the testimony of survivors and hundreds of photos from the Tulsa museum that show Greenwood before and after the horror. It started when a white elevator operator accused 19-year-old Greenwood resident Dick Rowland of assault. Angry mobs descended on the neighborhood and burned it to the ground, killing scores, injuring hundreds and destroying over 1,000 homes and businesses. Despite the fact that Rowland was later cleared of any offense, no one was ever charged with any wrongdoing, no reparations were ever made and accounts of the riot were literally cut out of the newspaper archives as Tulsa tried to erase accounts and memories of the events. IN SEARCH OF HISTORY exposes one of the darkest chapters in the history of American race relations.