Greenwood Tulsa Oklahoma Riot “Black Wall Street” – 1921 On the morning of May 30, 1921, a young black man named Dick Rowland was riding in the elevator in the Drexel Building at Third and Main. The white elevator operator, Sarah Page, claimed that Rowland grabbed her arm, causing her to flee in panic. Accounts of the incident circulated among the city’s white community during the day and became more exaggerated with each telling.An inflammatory report in the May 31 edition of the Tulsa Tribune spurred a confrontation between black and white armed mobs around the courthouse where the sheriff and his men had barricaded the top floor to protect Rowland. Shots were fired and the outnumbered blacks began retreating to the Greenwood Avenue business district.Twenty-four hours after the violence erupted, it ceased. In the wake of the violence, 35 city blocks lay in charred ruins, over 800 people were treated for injuries and estimated reports of deaths began at 36. Last know survivor of Attack on Black Wall Street dies at 104 ·Lucille Buhanan was 12 years old when the Tulsa race riots occurred ·During 1921, whites attacked African American who were living in the area of Greenwood knows as “Black Wall Street” ·38 people died during the riot and thousands were left homeless ·Black Wall Street had its own theaters, grocery stores, independent newspaper and professional black class however, it was all demolished ·Demolished by a white mob angry over a black teen alleged assault of a white female Another Survivor Experience ·J.B Stradford was a lawyer & businessman, son of a freed Kentucky slave ·Stradford wasn’t afraid of preaching gospel of equal treatment and racial solidarity of African Americans ·He rose in Oklahoma during the 1900’s as one of the key developers of all ·He owned room 65 in a hotel that was located in the community know as “Black Wall Street” ·On May 31, 1921 everything change for him, he was accused of inciting the deadliest race riots of American History ·After the whole issue his granddaughter helped him avoid trial since she was a lawyer ·He left to run a successful law practice in Chicago & manage to avoid facing “Justice” in Oklahoma (he never return to the states) ·The charges hung over him until he died ·His family fought to clear his name, it wasn’t until 1996 (75yrs) after the riot, he was cleared of wrong doing