In the second of a three-part series on the destruction of Black Wall Street, MAKING CONTACT focuses on how the community built back. In fact, Greenwood’s economic heyday came 20 years later, in the 1940s. Then came the 1950s-60s, when Urban Renewal projects gave the city of Tulsa federal funds to buy out Black land owners. This loss of ownership undercut Greenwood’s very existence. Now Greenwood Okies, pulling from their history, are building Tulsa’s future, despite continued discrimination.
This week on Bay Made, we are sharing a series of stories from Making Contact in honor of Black History Month.
Making Contact is an Oakland-produced radio show and podcast that covers the most urgent issues of our time — and the people on the ground building a more just world.