MABEL B. LITTLE
Mabel B. Little was the granddaughter of former enslaved people Zack and Caroline Brooks. Growing up, she loved to spend time with her grandparents on their farm and attend school. Little is the daughter of John and Casandra Bonner.1 “The Victory of Greenwood: Mabel B. Little.” Tulsa Star, 24 July 2020, newtulsastar.com/2020/05/11/the-victory-of-greenwood-mabel-b-little/.
When she was only two, her father, John, passed away. Her mother later married Mr. Samuel Anderson.
She moved from Boley to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1913 at 17 years old in order to attend college at Langston and search for an opportunity to own a business. 2 “The Victory of Greenwood: Mabel B. Little.” Tulsa Star, 24 July 2020, newtulsastar.com/2020/05/11/the-victory-of-greenwood-mabel-b-little/.
She met her husband, Pressley, on a lunch break at their local cafe where he worked as a waiter in Greenwood. Pressley or Preston Little is also the brother of Susie Bell, making Susie and Mabel sisters-in-law.
According to Little, she said it was love at first sight. Little began working at a white hotel while he waited tables.
Little and her husband invested in a beauty parlor for her to run in downtown Greenwood called the Little Rose Beauty Salon in 1917 while Pressley shined shoes.
The salon was a popular place for women at the time to get their hair done and also a hot spot for community discussion and gossip. 3 Luckerson, Victor. “#009: The Women of Black Wall Street.” Run It Back, Run It Back, 14 May 2020, runitback.substack.com/p/009-the-women-of-black-wall-street.
They were movers and shakers more importantly entrepreneurs in Greenwood. They bought a three-room shotgun house, Pressley used one room to continue his shoe-shining business, Mabel had her room for a beauty salon, and the couple lived in the third room.
Young women would go to see Little before they had a big night out because they knew she had a magic touch.
Mabel’s business became a sensation, she received a certification from Madam C.J. Walker’s beauty course and by 1918, her business took off. She had to hire three more expert beauticians and built a client base of over 600. Young women would go to see Little before they had a big night out because they knew she had a magic touch.
The business took off so fast that Mabel and Pressley were able to move into a 5 room home, buy a Model-T Ford and Pressley even opened a restaurant called the Little cafe.
The cafe was best known for smothered steak, rice, and famous brown gravy. 4 “The Victory of Greenwood: Mabel B. Little.” Tulsa Star, 24 July 2020, newtulsastar.com/2020/05/11/the-victory-of-greenwood-mabel-b-little/.
When tragedy struck in Greenwood in 1921, Little and her husband lost the beauty parlor, the restaurant, and also rental properties downtown.
The two of them escaped and became some of the few survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre. 5 Williams, ByFred. “Black Wall Street: A Legacy of Success.” EBONY, 1 Oct. 2019, www.ebony.com/black-history/black-wall-street-a-legacy-of-success-798/. Pressley was only able to get manual labor jobs after the tragedy. Throughout his construction jobs, Pressley developed tuberculosis and then died in 1927.
Little was able to immerse herself in the church after his death and helped rebuild it after the massacre. 6 “Black History Month: Mabel B. Little Survived Tulsa Race Riot and Became Matriarch.” Tulsa World, 21 Feb. 2017, tulsaworld.com/news/black-history-month-mabel-b-little-survived-tulsa-race-riot-and-became-matriarch/article_867a3f10-7618-590b-aaef-09ddf726426e.html. The church brand new was $75,000.
The community worked to rebuild the church which provided a symbol of hope and a place of gathering for the entire community. Mabel rebuilt her salon to provide income for her family. Little lived to be 104 and was a constant activist in the community of Tulsa for black individuals. 7 Deseret News. “Tulsa Black Community Icon Mabel B. Little Dies at 104.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 19 Jan. 2001, www.deseret.com/2001/1/19/19564173/tulsa-black-community-icon-mabel-b-little-dies-at-104.
She even has the Mabel B. Little Heritage House in downtown Greenwood in her honor. She was known as the matriarch for schools.
She was also the mother to over 20 adopted children over time, earning her the nickname of “matriarch” in the Tulsa community. 8 “The Victory of Greenwood: Mabel B. Little.” Tulsa Star, 24 July 2020, newtulsastar.com/2020/05/11/the-victory-of-greenwood-mabel-b-little/.
Kelsey Briggs
Take a short quiz on Little’s life!
Bibliography:
“Black History Month: Mabel B. Little Survived Tulsa Race Riot and Became Matriarch.” Tulsa World, 21 Feb. 2017, tulsaworld.com/news/black-history-month-mabel-b-little-survived-tulsa-race-riot-and-became-matriarch/article_867a3f10-7618-590b-aaef-09ddf726426e.html.
Deseret News. “Tulsa Black Community Icon Mabel B. Little Dies at 104.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 19 Jan. 2001, www.deseret.com/2001/1/19/19564173/tulsa-black-community-icon-mabel-b-little-dies-at-104.
Luckerson, Victor. “#009: The Women of Black Wall Street.” Run It Back, Run It Back, 14 May 2020, runitback.substack.com/p/009-the-women-of-black-wall-street.
“The Victory of Greenwood: Mabel B. Little.” Tulsa Star, 24 July 2020, newtulsastar.com/2020/05/11/the-victory-of-greenwood-mabel-b-little/.
Williams, ByFred. “Black Wall Street: A Legacy of Success.” EBONY, 1 Oct. 2019, www.ebony.com/black-history/black-wall-street-a-legacy-of-success-798/.
Citation:
To cite this essay, use the following citation: Kelsey Briggs, “Mabel B. Little,” in Brandy Thomas Wells, ed. Women of Black Wall Street, 2021, https://blackwallstreetwomen.com/?page_id=460(Access Date)