ABOUT THE PROJECT

African Americans detained during the Tulsa Race Massacre, 1921. The photo shows a small truck loaded with people. A woman sits with her legs dangling from the back of the truck. An armed man rides on the running board of the automobile. Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society & Museum.

Many historical and contemporary accounts of Greenwood capture the experiences of its male leaders well. The names O.W. Gurley, J.B. Stradford, John Williams, and AJ Smitherman are virtually synonymous with Greenwood.

It’s clear and understandable why. Emphasizing these men’s leadership and success helped to refute the extreme marginalization that Black men faced in larger society. Even as White Americans upheld patriarchal views that proclaimed men as society’s rightful leaders, racist views discounted Black men as equals. 

Oklahoma National Guard troops taking a group of men and women to McNulty Baseball Park for internment during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society & Museum.

The interior of Emma Buckner’s sewing shop. The back of the photograph contains a handwritten note in pencil stating, “Emma Buckner – Loss 700.00, 1120 Hartford. Taken just before riot. This complete outfit with every dress in it burned. Widow – 5 children under 16, 1 – 17.” Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society & Museum.

A girl holding her younger sibling. The photograph was taken in the Greenwood District following the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Credit: Tulsa Historical Society and Museum

Black women’s lived experiences were further discounted. The discrimination they faced, including racism, sexism, and classism, rendered them most invisible in the historical narrative.

Women of Black Wall Street (WBWS) challenges this intersectional invisibility. It captures this population’s contributions, experiences, joys, and woes, aiding in the development of a deeper and richer story of the dynamic Greenwood community.

WBWS reveals that Greenwood women joined their neighbors in making Greenwood into a bustling district of businesses, homes, and schools.

Some women developed businesses, including candy shops, theatres, restaurants, and schools. Others served as teachers who instructed the future of the community and taught about its past.

Some like Mary Jones Parrish, became writers and speakers who told people throughout the nation what life was like in Greenwood before and after a White mob tried to burn it down in 1921. Later, women told of the destruction wrought by urban renewal.

In the face of it all, these women’s stories and experiences capture the deep ties that wove together the Greenwood community.

THE WEBSITE.

WBWS gives users access to biographies, including Mary Jones Parrish, Emma Gurley, Dora Wells, Loula T. Williams, and others. 

The website features maps, allowing users to see where these women lived and worked and where these addresses are in present-day Tulsa. 

Connecting the past and the present, WBWS interviews capture the experiences of some contemporary business owners and Greenwood descendants.

The Future

WBWS is a living project that will continue offering new biographies across decades.

We invite you to check back.

You can also tell us what you learned and what you hope to see in future editions. 

A postcard of two women standing on a sidewalk. It is unknown if this image is connected with the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre or the following recovery efforts of the American Red Cross.
Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society & Museum.