Created by
Unidentified
Date
June 1, 1921
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions
H x W (Image and sheet): 2 7/8 × 4 5/8 in. (7.3 × 11.7 cm)
H x W (Board): 8 × 12 in. (20.3 × 30.5 cm)
Caption
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.
Description
A black-and-white photograph of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma as it burns. Photograph is taken from an elevated position, depicting the rooftops of buildings and a skyline shrouded in smoke. Written in the negative over the smoke plume is [LITTLE AFRICA ON FIRE / TULSA RACE RIOT JUNE 1ST. 1921]. The photograph is fused to cardstock along with objects 2019.95.7, 2019.95.9, and 2019.95.10.
Place depicted
Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Type
gelatin silver prints
Topic
Communities
Race relations
Race riots
Tulsa Race Massacre
U.S. History, 1919-1933
Violence
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cassandra P. Johnson Smith
Object number
2019.95.8
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5e11b31c9-4167-4131-b033-c494794e6b00

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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