First Impressions from Tulsa: Honoring the Legacy of Black Wall Street

Have you heard of the Black Wall Street or Standpipe Hill?

I traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the Black Heritage Tree Project — a National Geographic-sponsored initiative led by Dr. Alicia Odewale. This was our first community listening session for the project. The project is “dedicated to honoring the legacy of Black communities through the powerful presence of trees.” As the Lead Photographer and Director of Visual Story Telling, I came to capture the event, but to visit the Standpipe Hill.

Black Heritage Project Team standing on Standpipe Hill.

In 1921, Greenwood was a thriving Black community known as Black Wall Street. It was attacked and bombed, marking the only time the United States released a bomb on its own soil against its citizens. As I walked out of my hotel in the Greenwood District, it was hard to imagine that a massacre had taken place here 104 years ago. Today the area is filled with local shops, restaurants, coffee shops, a church and more — a modern downtown with no major scare shown. The historical markers on the ground and buildings bring awareness and remind others of the businesses that once stood in the existing location. Standpipe Hill is just a few minutes’ walk from Greenwood.

Standing where Grier Shoemaker was once located in the Greenwood District.

Standpipe Hill was where the most affluent Black people in Tulsa lived, there were homes, a school and church on the hill. If you visit today, none of that exists. The original hill is now split by a road. As you approach the hill on one side you can see remnants of building — red bricks mixed with other structural and environment sediments.  What you cannot miss are the trees on the corner of the hill, these trees witnessed and heard the brutal event unfold. They were burnt down but grew back years later. They are not only witnesses to what occurred at Standpipe Hill, but survivors, rooted in with stories of resilience and remembrance. On the hill a member of our team found a broken porcelain figurine head. I was ecstatic to see and touch an artifact over a 100 years ago.

Porcelain figurine found on Standpipe Hill.

During my time in Tulsa, I learned history that many people, even in Tulsa, are unaware of this horrific historical event.

Key Learnings

1. Tulsa Massacre occurred June 1st, 1921

2. Trees burned during the massacre at Standpipe Hill grew back post the fire

3. These trees are part of the Black Heritage Tree Project

4. Both older and younger generations in Tulsa are often unaware of the Tulsa Massacre

5. Greenwood District— where the massacre occurred was a separate entity from Tulsa during the time of the attack

6. Most businesses and buildings were never rebuilt, and the legacy of Black Wall Street endures through community memory and these heritage trees

7. Vernon AME Church is the only structure that remains from the massacre

Vernon AME Church in the Greenwood District in Tulsa

Lastly, while in Tulsa I had the opportunity to see their first black mayor of Tulsa — Monroe Nichols and be present when he shared his plan for reparations for the people of Tulsa. I am excited to be part of the Black Heritage Tree Project to document the trees from a visual vantage point, but most importantly, the stories to bring awareness to preserving black heritage trees. You can learn more about the Black Heritage Tree project here.