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Tulsa Timeline
GREENWOOD
a subdued history |
| May 29, 1921 |
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Elevator Incident
On Memorial Day of 1921 a young black man (Dick Rowland), entered an elevator in the Drexel Building and was involved in a disputed account
of events where he made physical contact with a young white woman (Sarah Page) which resulted in her screaming. He was arrested for assault
shortly thereafter and taken to the County Courthouse. After the incident, a newspaper article with an inaccurate account of events was
released which inflamed the situation and led to the congregation of an armed white mob at the courthouse which sought to seek their own
form of justice independent of the rule of law. Armed black residents of Greenwood also came to the courthouse to protect Dick Rowland from
the angry mob. A few days later, a following newspaper story was published which downplayed the seriousness of the incident, and Sarah Page
recanted her original story that she had given to the police and then refused to further cooperate with the investigation. However, in the
few days that passed between the original and follow up articles, the neighborhood of Greenwood would change forever. |
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Sources
| [1] Brown, D. (2021, February 04). Red Summer: When Racist Mobs Ruled. How a Pandemic of Racial Terror Led to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. American Experience. PBS. |
| https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/t-town-red-summer-racist-mobs/ |
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| [2] Burch, R., Reid, R., & Ferguson, K. (Producers). (2021). Tulsa Race Massacre: 100 Years Later [Video]. PBS. |
| https://www.pbs.org/video/tulsa-race-massacre-100-years-later-vdv9tx |
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| [3] Silvers, J., Brown, D., & Stover, E. (Producers). (2021). Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten [Video]. PBS. |
| https://www.pbs.org/video/episode-1-zew2v8 |
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| [4] PBS News. (2024, June 12). Oklahoma’s Supreme Court Dismisses Lawsuit from Last 2 Survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre Seeking Reparations. |
| https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/oklahomas-supreme-court-dismisses-lawsuit-from-last-2-survivors-of-tulsa-race-massacre-seeking-reparations |
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