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Little Africa on Fire (Tulsa Race Riot 6-1-1921)

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@ National Museum of African American History and Culture

Unidentified Kavin Ross, American

Description

On May 31 and June 1, 1921, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, mobs of white residents brutally attacked the African American community of Greenwood, colloquially known as "Black Wall Street," in the deadliest racial massacre in U.S. history. Homes, businesses, and community structures including schools, churches, a hospital, and the library were looted and burned or otherwise destroyed. Exact statistics are unknown, but the violence left around 10,000 people homeless and as many as 300 people dead with many more missing and wounded.Photo postcards of the Tulsa Race Massacre were widely distributed following the massacre in 1921. Like postcards depicting lynchings, these souvenir cards were powerful declarations of white racial power and control. Decades later, the cards served as evidence for community members working to recover the forgotten history of the riot and secure justice for its victims and their descendants.A sepia-toned photographic postcard depicting a scene of buildings on fire from the Tulsa Race Massacre. The image has been taken from an elevated view, with power lines in the foreground, followed by rooftops and billowing dark smoke in the background. Handwritten into the negative and appearing in white text is [LITTLE AFRICA ON FIRE / TULSA RACE RIOT 6-1-1921]. The verso is marked [POST CARD] at the top with spaces for [CORRESPONDENCE] and [ADDRESS] and an AZO stamp box in the top right corner.
Format:
Silver And Photographic Gelatin On Photographic Paper, With Ink On Paper
Rights:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
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Record Contributed By

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution

Keywords

  1. African American
  2. African Americans
  3. Communities
  4. Photography
  5. Race Relations
  6. Race Riots
  7. Ross, Kavin
  8. Tulsa Race Massacre
  9. U.S. History, 1919 1933
  10. Violence

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