List of commemoration programs and events happening in Tulsa
Have an event you'd like to see on the list? Send an email to info@tulsacouncil.org with information about your event.
March 2021 - Launch of Dr. Karlos Hill’s The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: A Photographic History, published by the University of Oklahoma Press
March 2, 6-7 p.m. Community Read Event: "Black Wall Street 100" Live Interview With Author Hannibal B. Johnson
Hannibal B. Johnson speaks about his newest book, "Black Wall Street 100," via Zoom.
March 2 - “Reparations and the Tulsa Race Massacre” Speakers: Dr. Ife Williams, Ms. Dreisen Health, Mr. Bruce Fisher | Moderator: Dr. Karlos Hill - Noon-1:30pm – Online via Zoom – Registration TBA
Sponsored by the OU College of Law. Each panelist will present for fifteen minutes on their area of expertise, beginning with Dr. Williams (reparations overview), Mr. Fisher (history of Tulsa Race Massacre), Ms. Dreisen Heath (reparation litigation and reparations for the Tulsa Race Massacre).
March 8 • 12:10-12:50 p.m. • Books Sandwiched In: The Vanishing Half • Zoom
Join Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries on Zoom for this lunchtime book talk series and discover your next read or dive deeper into a latest bestseller.
March 18 • 7 p.m. • Community Read Event • An Evening With Mira Jacob • Zoom
Join author Mira Jacob via Zoom as she discusses her book "Good Talk," in which she sensitively explores the ways we talk about race, sexuality and love. Audience Q&A to follow Jacob's presentation.
March 20 - The Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education’s 2021 KEY Conference (Keep Educating Yourself), “PD Madness,” in support of PK–12 teachers across the state, will take place March 6–27. Kristy Brugar and Crag Hill, professors in the Instructional Leadership & Academic Curriculum department, will be presenting a session devoted to Jennifer Latham’s Dreamland Burning (2017). 10:30–11:45am | Online via Zoom
March 25 Weekly Teacher Symposium – The kickoff to 9-week Public Teacher Education Workshop Series
March 30 • 6:30 p.m. • Common Ground: A Courageous Community Conversation on Tulsa’s Past, Present and Future • Zoom
Courageous Community Conversations is a reading and discussion program designed to give participants an opportunity for authentic and transformative dialogue about challenging issues. Using Hannibal B. Johnson’s "Black Wall Street 100" as a catalyst, we will discuss the impacts of racial trauma and the actions necessary for meaningful growth and healing. Participants will have the opportunity to share ideas for fostering a more inclusive and equitable Tulsa.
Opening in April • Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford • Exhibit: TCCL Remembers – Commemorating Tulsa’s Race Massacre With Education, Empathy and Healing
This curated exhibit will offer a unique, immersive way for participants to learn about this tragic historical event as well as the racial and political conditions leading up to and following the Tulsa Race Massacre itself. TCCL is a proud recipient of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission Grant Program. All grants have been made possible from the generosity of WPX Energy.
April 1 - Launch of “Redreaming Dreamland,” the spring 2021 issue of World Literature Today
April 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29 - Virtual Class Series: The Greenwood District – ahha
Join this virtual series to learn more about the historic Greenwood District as we commemorate the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Thursdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29 7:00 - 8:00 PM
https://ahhatulsa.org/classes/the-greenwood-district-then-now/
April 8 • 7 p.m. • Unite Tulsa: Empathy, Education and Healing • Zoom
Join the library for a rapid-fire series of presentations from Tulsa County residents who are making a difference. Register to receive a Zoom link.
https://events.tulsalibrary.org/event/4843979
April 8-9 - “Reflecting on the Past, Facing the Future: The Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Symposium,” featuring keynote and plenary talks by Tracy K. Smith, Scott Ellsworth, and Hannibal B. Johnson as well as a dance performance, with original choreography, sponsored by the OU School of Dance (detailed schedule TBA)
April 10 - The Center for Poets & Writers hosts Tracy K. Smith for a craft talk and book signing on the OSU-Tulsa campus, co-sponsored by Fulton Street Books
April 16 - The Center for the Americas in the David L. Boren College of International Studies will host the talk “Race, Massacre, and Historical Memory: The Case of Guatemala,” by Luis Rodrigo Salvadó. Dr. Salvadó is an analyst for the Public Prosecutor for Human Rights of Guatemala and professor of forensic science and criminal investigation at the Universidad de Occidente de Guatemala. 3:00-4:30pm | Online via Zoom
April 17, 9:21 AM – 10:21 PM, TONI MORRISON SOCIETY: BENCH BY THE ROAD DEDICATION
A dedication ceremony for two benches placed at the Mabel B. Little House at and the corner of Greenwood Ave & Archer Street
https://www.tulsa2021.org/calendar/bench-by-the-road-dedication
April 22 • 6 p.m. • Community Read Event • Fireside Chat With Author Robin DiAngelo • Zoom
New York Times bestselling author Robin DiAngelo joins us via Zoom to discuss her book "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism."
https://events.tulsalibrary.org/event/4843987
April 23 • Dedication of Historic Landmarks in Historic Greenwood
April 29 • 7 p.m • Panel Discussion: Who Watches the Watchmen? • Zoom
Join the library for a Zoom discussion with several writers from HBO's "Watchmen" series, as well as the comics curator from OKPOP. The panel will discuss the show and its relation to the Tulsa Race Massacre.
https://events.tulsalibrary.org/event/4844011
May 6 • 7 p.m. • Meet Author Jason Reynolds, Winner of the 2021 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature • location to be announced
o Jason Reynolds is the New York Times bestselling author of All American Boys and other works for young adult and middle-grade audiences. “As a black man and a white man, both writers and educators, we came together to co-write a book about how systemic racism and police brutality affect the lives of young people in America, in order to create an important, unique and honest work that would give young people and the people who educate them a tool for having these difficult but absolutely vital conversations,” said Reynolds about his book All American Boys, co-written by Brendan Kiely. Visit www.tulsalibrary.org/zarrowaward for more details.
May 8 • at 7:30 pm at Booker T. Washington High School.
Tulsa Chorale remembers the historic Tulsa Race Massacre’s 100th anniversary in collaboration with Booker T. Washington High School choirs performing Karl Jenkins’ “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace.” https://tulsachorale.org/concerts/tulsa-race-massacre-anniversary-commemoration/
May 11 • 6 p.m. • Community Read Event • Friendship Mattered Then! Friendship Matters Now! Presented by Clifton L. Taulbert • Zoom
Join the library via Zoom for an inspiring presentation from Clifton Taulbert, author of "Eight Habits of the Heart: Embracing the Values That Build Strong Communities."
https://events.tulsalibrary.org/event/4844017
May 22 • Dedication of Pathway to Hope – The official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the “Pathway to Hope” Walking Path
May 30 • Faith Still Standing – Unity Day
May 31 • Centennial Commemorative Program
May 31 • Candlelight Vigil
June 1 • Economic Empowerment Day – Online webinar hosted by Hill Harper and Eric Stevenson
June 1 • Pop-up Block Party hosted by Motown
June 2 • Greenwood Rising Dedication
June 3 • Nation Day of Learning – A global online history lesson on the story of Greenwood
June 4 • Greenwood Film Festival – A multi-theatre event hosted by Tim Reid and Clifton Taulbert
June 5 • Dreamland Again – a multi-genre experience that uses music’s power to unite and heal the greater Tulsa Community, while remembering the tragic massacre of 1921 – in partnership with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. Dr. View, and SymDesign
June 5 • Black Wall Street Memorial Run – 5k/10k run in honor of the official Centennial Commemoration festivities
June 12 - 14 • The Greenwood Film Festival will not just commemorate the tragic events of 1921, but continue to build a strong and vibrant art, culture, and film community in the Greenwood District. The Festival will give local filmmakers and others a platform to connect with their community, encourage identity, increase film-making skills, ownership, and engage in hot topics in the Let’s Talk Panels. Tickets can be purchased www.greenwoodfilmfestival.com Community partners and sponsors are encouraged and should contact Greenwood Film Festival at info@greenwoodfilmfestival.com, Tel: 323.379.2687
June 19 • Tulsa Juneteenth Festival – Hosted by the Black Wall Street Chamber Commerce
Year-long • #TulsaTriumphs - 2021 Commitment to Eliminate Racism - YWCA
The Tulsa City-County Library has a wealth of resources available on it's website. Much of what is listed below comes from this site: https://www.tulsalibrary.org/research/tulsa-and-oklahoma-history
Tulsa Race Riot: A Report by the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 (2001)
1921 Tulsa Race Riot and the American Red Cross, "Angels of Mercy" (1993) by Robert Hower
The 1921 Tulsa Race Riot and the Politics of Memory (2000) by Julia Forrester-Sellers
Annual report / National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 1921
Black Wall Street: From Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District (1998) by Hannibal Johnson
The Burning Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 (2001) by Tim Madigan
Death in A Promised Land: The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 (1992) by Scott Ellsworth
Events of the Tulsa Race Riot Disaster (1922) by Mary E. Jones Parrish
History of Governor Walton's War on the Ku Klux Klan (1923) by Howard Tucker
Hush, Somebody's Callin' My Name: A Photographic Essay of Survival, Resilience and Perseverance (2008) by Don Thompson
My Life and An Era: The Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin (1997) by Buck Colbert Franklin
Reconstructing the Dreamland The Tulsa Riot of 1921: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation (2002) by Alfred Brophy
Report, Tulsa Race Riot Disaster Relief (1994) from the American Red Cross
Riot and Remembrance: The Tulsa Race War and Its Legacy (2002) by James Hirsch
Riot on Greenwood: The Total Destruction of Black Wall Street, 1921 (2003) by Eddie Faye Gates
Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District (2014) by Hannibal Johnson
The Tulsa Race Riot (1946) by Loren Gill
The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921: The Politics of Lawlessness (1996) by Majorie Ann Tracy
The Tulsa Race War of 1921 (1975) by R. Halliburton
Black Wall Street 100: An American City Grapples With Its Historical Racial Trauma Paperback (2020) by Hannibal Johnson
Tulsa, 1921: Reporting a Massacre (2019) by Randy Krehbiel
Coming in 2021
1. LeBron James' Spring Hill will produce a documentary with Bad Rap's Salima Koroma directing.
2. Dream Hampton, who exec produced Surviving R. Kelly, is planning a miniseries titled Black Wall Street with Cineflix Productions.
3. Russell Westbrook, another NBA superstar, partnered with production house Blackfin for a docuseries titled Terror in Tulsa: The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street, to be directed by Stanley Nelson, the filmmaker behind Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool.
4. National Geographic special: New documentary from filmmaker Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble, The Way I See It). Tentatively titled Red Summer.
5. New documentary, Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten, premieres Monday, May 31 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org and the PBS Video app.
In Search of History: The Night Tulsa Burned
from The History Channel, Feb. 19, 1999
Tulsa Race Riot (Massacre) Commission Interviews Tape 1
from the Oklahoma Historical Society
Soul of a Nation - Tulsa's Buried Truth
from ABC News, April 6, 2021
American History Tellers: Tulsa Race Massacre
from Wondery, May 29, 2019
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