African American Book Black Wall Street

Tulsa, Oklahoma 1921 . . . During the early 1900's in a small northern section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, African Americans built the most phenomenal black community and business district in American history. In a 36-square block section of North Tulsa, over 600 thriving businesses prospered beyond the imagination. The town was originally named Greenwood, however it was soon referred to as Little Africa and Niggertown by racists groups such as the Knights of Liberty, the White Camellia and the Klan. After it prospered and flourished, it was nicknamed Black Wall Street by the New York Financial District. Recent reports indicate a "paper trail" where many of Black Wall Street's Millionaires financed businesses on New York's Wall Street!

There was an abundance of highly educated and wealthy black doctors, lawyers, oil men, business owners and entrepreneurs who actually controlled their own destines in a society that prevented them from venturing into other parts of the city or state. Jim Crow Laws made it against the law for blacks to go into other parts of the city, except to work for a white family or business. Curfew laws were set up and strictly enforced. However, something fascinating began to happen . . . A large percentage of the Black Dollar remained and circulated throughout the Black Community. There were at least ten black millionaires (six owned private airplanes) in 1921. There were doctors, lawyers, schools, churches, hotels, general stores, feed and grain stores, livery stables, real estate companies, oil companies, restaurants, nightclubs, hospitals, a bank, cab companies, a bus line, even a 700-seat movie theater. The KKK and high city officials intentionally and systematically destroyed this Major Black Economic Movement. The entire Black Community was "bombed from the air and burned to the ground in 1921."