| One of the conversations that has emerged during coverage of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race riot is the fact that many residents of the city had never heard about how Whites massacred Black residents and burned their homes and businesses to the ground. It wasn't taught in schools nor was there much public acknowledgment of the violence that took place from May 31 to June 1, 1921. The incident drew national interest after it was dramatized in the opening scene of the 2019 HBO miniseries, "Watchmen." Tulsa was further amplified last year after the murder of George Floyd heightened calls for confronting historical systemic racism and violence against Black Americans. The Tulsa race riots was one of dozens of such attacks on Black Americans in cities and towns around the country during the early decades of the 1900s. I grew up in Florida, where in 1923 racists attacked the predominantly Black town of Rosewood, murdering residents and burning their homes and businesses. I didn't learn about Rosewood in school, but from a 1982 story in the Tampa Bay Times. In the vast majority of these incidents, no White people were held accountable for the loss of Black lives and property. At a time when Black Americans are demanding the country not only acknowledge these atrocities, but begin to take steps to make amends, conservatives across the country are railing against setting the historical record straight by condemning "critical race theory." Beyond rhetorical attacks, some local and state lawmakers are passing laws forbidding its use. In doing so their actions could be interpreted as proving a central argument of critical race theory scholars: that White people in power have used the law to discriminate against people of color and perpetuate racial inequality. We explore these issues and more in this edition. Thanks for reading.  Smoke billows over Tulsa during the 1921 massacre, which left as many as 300 black residents dead and destroyed more than 6,000 homes. The 1921 attack by a White mob on the all-Black Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood was one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history. As the city marks the massacre's 100th anniversary this week, this is what happened and what was lost. By DeNeen L. Brown ● Read more » | | | | By Karin Brulliard, Nick Kirkpatrick, Allie Caren, Brittany Shammas, Kim Bellware, Ariana Eunjung Cha, William Wan and Emily Wright ● Read more » | | |  The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the country's deadliest episodes of racial violence. Historians believe as many as 300 Black people were killed and 10,000 were made homeless after a white mob descended on a thriving Black business district. On Tuesday, June 1 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, Washington Post race and economics reporter Tracy Jan speaks with Mary Elliott and Paul Gardullo from the National Museum of African American History and Culture about what happened and the enduring impact of the century-old massacre. By Washington Post Live ● Read more » | | | |
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