Remembering Tulsa's race massacre - 9th June 2021

President Biden has attended the commemoration of the Tulsa massacre in the US state of Oklahoma. The massacre, which took place 100 years ago, devastated one of the most prosperous African American communities of the era.

President Biden: "My fellow Americans, this was not a riot. This was a massacre."

The racial massacre has until recently been a taboo subject, despite the fact that roughly 300 Black people were killed and in excess of 10,000 were left homeless. Current Tulsa residents want everyone to know the truth.

Barbara Tottress: "This has been hidden for so long. This has been hidden. It was not taught in our schools."

Beverly Smith: "It's really wild. It should be in textbooks. It should be everywhere. People need to know about this. I mean, why keep it a secret?"

The massacre on 31st May 1921 was triggered after a young Black man was accused of assaulting a white woman. An aggressive white mob descended on the courthouse where he was held. In response, a group of Black men headed there, concerned about the man's welfare.

Shots were fired, forcing the African Americans to retreat into the affluent district of Greenwood, known as the Black Wall Street. The white mob looted Black properties and set them alight.

A special commission in 2001 revealed that some white agitators had received weapons directly from the police.

President Biden maintains Americans must now acknowledge the events.

President Biden: "For much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence - cloaked in darkness. But just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place."

Prior to the President's visit, the White House announced a series of measures, which include billions in grants to address differences in wealth, home and small business ownership for African Amercians. Yet some residents of Tulsa remain sceptical.

Anthony Hutton: "And, you know, again, looking for a lot more than rhetoric and gestures. You know, we're looking for results, you know. We're looking for, you know, opportunity, economic opportunity. The same opportunity they had, you know, elsewhere all around town."

The recommendation made by the commission in 2001 for financial reparations for survivors and descendants of those affected by the massacre has still not been acted on.