Historical Documents – Articles, Magazines, Accounts, etc.
Magazine Articles
Much of what we know about the 1921 Tulsa Race (Riot) Massacre springs from historical records, documents, artifacts, and personal accounts of survivors. The lives of those connected to 1921 speak beyond the atrocities of what took place during the Tulsa Race Massacre. There are also pioneers who established a presence within Tulsa’s Greenwood District and contributed to the vitality of Black Wall Street of 1921 and beyond.
Reading of Historical Documents
When reading historical sources, such as magazines and newspapers, readers have the opportunity to examine the cultural activities that were going on in the contemporary periods in which the publication occurred, so readers should review other stories in the same publication that help provide context to the values and events that influenced thinking and behavior. The details provided within the stories also give helpful information to know specific names, time frames, and locations to compare other accounts of similar stories or events.
Sample documents show how historical documents give context to the times of Greenwood as a community influenced by the broader Tulsa, Oklahoma, setting.
From the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
From Oklahoma State University Writing Project – Greenwood Race Massacre Resources
- Impact – “The Disaster of the 1921 Race Riot” – Commemorating 50th Anniversary of Riot – 1971
- OK Magazine – “Black and White Neighbors” – July 26, 1981
- Eastern Oklahoma Catholic – Book (Scott Ellsworth) Sheds Light on Hate-Fueled Fire
- Change – “The Visible Man” – February 1977
- The Tulsa Tribune – “Family Matriarch Supervises Homestead”
- Barney Cleaver Articles from 12/2/1908, and Oklahoma Eagle (unknown date), and Agust 30, 1930
- Business Directory, Greenwood Chamber of Commerce – 1948 publication
- “Greenwood: A Historical Perspective”
- “The Greenwood Era” – Speech Henry C. Whitlow – March 29, 1973
- Oklahoma Eagle – “Display Features ‘The Greenwood Era'”
- Latimer Family Barbecue History
- Ellis Walker Woods Elementary School – 1965
- Tulsa Tribune – “Cultural Center Dream Unfolds in North Tulsa”
- Services for Moton Health Director (EH Harris) Set – July 4, 1978
- Oklahoma Eagle – “Personal Reflection on Roots”
- Oklahoma Eagle – “Caution Urged on Renovation Studies” – September 13, 1978
- Oklahoma Eagle – “A Sense of Place” – 1976
- Tulsa World – Tulsa’s Little Black Wall Street – January 14, 1979
- Tulsa Tribune – “Waiter Knew Both Black and White Tulsa” – October 26, 1977
- “A History of the Blacks of North Tulsa and My Life (A True Story)” By Mrs. Mabel B. Little
- John Smitherman, One of First Black Police Officers
- Letters from the Owner of the Small Hotel (detailing the history of the hotel, Greenwood, and Interstate Highway intersecting businesses)
- Washington High School: Its History and the Path toward Integration (by Robert and Blanchie Mayes)
- Online Videos for Black Wall Street
- “Short History of Booker T. Washington” (by J.D. Williams) – October 16, 1977
- Greenwood Market Project – Detailing the Renovations of Greenwood in the early 1980s to Preserve the Greenwood Avenue Businesses
- Kyle Piedon’s (An OSUWP Teacher Consulant) Journal – A Personal Journal Archive of the Greenwood Business District
From Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals
- Chickasha Daily Express Newspaper – “Martial Law Tightens” | June 3, 1921
- New York Tribune – “US Inquiry in Race War” | June 4, 1921
- Washington Herald – “Week in the US” | June 5, 1921
- Watchman and Sothron (S. Carolina) – “Grand Jury Called” | June 8, 1921
- The Nation – “The Eruption of Tulsa” | June 29, 1921
- Tulsa World – “Timeline: The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre” | May 31, 2019
Miscellaneous Artifacts of Interest
Sample Guide – To Accompany Reading Articles / Newspapers / Journals
Reading Suggestions:
Begin by reading the story or account with a critical approach to improve your understanding of content.
Consider this guiding approach for questioning:
Before You Read:
- Look at the title of the piece of writing to get an idea about the subject matter.
- Think about what you already know about the topic from other sources.
- Think about your purpose for reading.
- Skim the piece of writing to help you select appropriate reading strategies for the specific piece.
While You Read:
- Focus your attention on the piece of writing.
- Use context clues to help you understand unfamiliar words and terminology.
- Pick out main ideas.
- Think about how the details and facts provided relate back to the main ideas.
- Distinguish between facts and opinions.
- When appropriate, make observations about how both facts and opinions are used in the article to support an argument.
- Ask yourself what inferences are being made in the piece of writing.
- Pay attention to the tone of the piece of writing.
After You Read:
- Reflect on what you have read.
- Summarize what you learned from your reading.
- Ask yourself what questions you have as a result of your reading.
- Seek additional information about the topic and your questions from reliable/expert sources.
As you read through magazines/articles, use the following questions to guide your reading process:
Before I Read:
- Based on the title, I thought the piece of writing was about….
- Some things I already know about this topic are….
- My purpose for reading this article was….
- After I skimmed the article, some strategies I decided to use when I read it were….
While I Read:
- The unfamiliar words/terms I encountered are listed below along with what I think each word meant in the article.
- The main idea(s) of the article are listed below.
- Important details and facts I found to support these main ideas were…
- Opinions that were used in the article included…
- Ways that facts and opinions were used to support an idea or argument were…
- Inferences made in the articles included…
- The tone of this piece of writing suggested…
After I Read:
- I had the following thoughts/reflections about the piece of writing…
- I could summarize this piece of writing by saying…
- The questions I had about this topic after reading this piece of writing were…
- Some other sources I could use to learn more about the topic or my questions could include…
