Riot and Remembrance: America's Worst Race Riot and Its Legacy

I read Martha Southgate's novel of three generations of black Tulsa women, each hiding a horrible tragedy. The name of the book is THIRD GIRL FROM THE LEFT. The oldest woman, Mildred, has lived through the Tulsa race riots of 1921 and has kept her secrets well. After reading this accomplished novel I wanted to know more about the holocaust in Tulsa, and to find out why it was so underreported at the time and for the next 50 years. James Hirsch's book seems to be about the best of a new crop of revisionist history, and I read the whole thing in about two and a half hours. At this late date there is no smoking gun, and a five month search for rumored mass graves in the surrounding areas of Tulsa proper turned up nothing out of the ordinary. That will never stop people from assuming that more than the 36 victims of vigilante action were killed, their bodies disposed of summarily. Hirsch thinks that the figure is probably somewhere between 75 and 300. Thousands of people lost their homes, and acres of Greenwood, the so called "black Wall Street" were burned to the ground. The famed historian John Hope Franklin came to Tulsa four years after the riots and bears witness today to the sense that, in 1920 black Oklahomans had made some definite progress, but after the catastrophe they lost their confidence and never could make up the backwards steps. Of course trauma studies indicate that such a devastating blow can never be recuperated, not entirely. That is why the issue of reparations has come to the forefront of the debate in recent times, for it seems, following Freud, that money is the only thing that people really sit up and take notice of, and as such it is the only proper way of dissolving guilt from human relations. (One of Hirsch's chapters is called, "Money, Negro," which is what Hope Franklin told a black politician who asked him what reparations represent.) The latter half of the book is almost a personality parade as two men, the aforemention pol, Don Ross, squares off against the driven, white liberal who wrote extensively about the forgotten tragedy as early as 1971--Scott Ellsworth. Neither of the two men care a fig about the other, it's plain to see, while elegant, courteous and magisterial John Hope Franklin rises above it all with his super acuity and his refusal to bend principles.

RIOT AND REMEMBRANCE is a detailed look at the tragic Tulsa race war of 1921. The 1921 Tulsa race war story is simular to the well-known Rosewood, Florida event but on a much larger scale.Mr. Hirsch includes both sides of the "truth", the black truth and the white truth. The entire event had been essentially remove from hisory until recently. Mr. Hirsh's attention to detail makes one feel like they were in Tulsa MAY 1921. The racist Jim Crow laws along with the irresponsible Tulsa Tribune's reporting created an atmosphere that turned a simple misunderstanding into a race war.African-Americans dared to stand up for themselves and the result was the entire Greenwood section of Tulsa was obiterated. Afterwards the city attempted to then take the Greenwood area away from the land owners.Mr Hirsch includes testamony and documentation from black and white folks that were involved directly and via historical research.He shows us how the story went from a whisper to the front page of major newspaper as the story was exposed.See from a modern point of view, the fact that an event even approaching this scale actually took place is surreal. The nefarious pathological additude towards African-Americans during this time in history is beyond comprehension.

I had only heard of the Tulsa race riot of 1921 a few years ago, even though I went to high school in the early 1980s in Bartlesville, OK, 45 miles north of Tulsa (and have driven on the highways that now run through the Greenwood section more times than I can count). I remember the fear that was passed on to me about that section of Tulsa and the dread of facing students from its high school whenever we played them in football, a darker fear than seemed warranted for a city of its size. Now, knowing the history of the race riots and the fears both sides had of sparking another one, I understand why.Hirsch does an amazing job of piecing together from both "official" and oral history the story of the riot, as well as what led up to it, and the racial climate surrounding the event. While he clearly favors the "black" side of the story, he doesn't give in to the most extreme views, and he does give the "white" views time and space. He also points out the difficult questions of reparations, and why there are no easy answers. Most importantly, "Riot and Remembrance" shows the readers why history can never be neatly tied up and packaged. We will probably never know the details of what happened on the ugly night and day of May 31-June 1, 1921, in Tulsa. We'll never know for sure the death toll, or what exactly was in the hearts of the African-Americans, the "ruffian" white, or the city leaders who coveted the Greenwood land. But at least with Hirsch's book, we have a chance to ponder all sides and draw our own conclusions.And, by the way, this is one Oklahoman who thinks the state and city SHOULD pay reparations in the form of scholarships and economic development in North Tulsa. I suspect I am in the minority, though!

In addition to an important new chapter about race relations in America, James Hirsch's book is must reading for anyone interested in how histories are suppressed and can be rescued. There is no more important story that no one knows than the one covered here. The fact that the Tulsa riot never made it into our history books makes one wonder what other aspects of our collective past have slipped our notice.

On May 31st, 1921, a race riot broke out in Tulsa, Oklahoma which resulted in the loss of about 300 lives and destruction of many homes, businesses, and hotels. The riot occurred due to a major misunderstanding between the white and African American communities; this misunderstanding was a result of segregation and the political and social attitudes of the day. The effects of the riot made a big scar in Tulsa's history; even today Tulsa is trying come to terms with the events surrounding the riot.In "Riot and Remembrance", James Hirsch does an excellent job describing the riot from the perspectives of both communities. Besides just stating facts and figures, Mr. Hirsch offers his own analysis on how the riot occurred. His lengthy and thoughtful research is apparent due to the many sources that he references in the course of the book. Mr. Hirsch also remains objective in portraying both sides of the riot.The most moving parts of the book are the tales from the survivors, and what the survivors have done after the riot. I especially like how the book starts with stories from the riot itself; the perspective then changes to the events leading up to the riot. I've enjoyed both of Mr. Hirsch's books, "Hurricane" and "Riot and Remembrance", and I am looking forward to the next one!