One of the most economically devastating events in history, The Tulsa Massacre, wasn’t that long ago. In fact, the oldest survivors is still alive to tell the tale.
Mother Viola Ford Fletcher, is being honored by the Financial Literacy Institute ( TFLI) for its 3rd Annual Black Wall Street Black Business Expo (BWSBE) on June 1, 2024.
“This year’s event is special because we are connected to the original Black Wall Street by having Mother Fletcher as our special guest,” Jasmine Young, Founder & President of TFLI. “A block-party-themed expo shows our commitment to the community we work tirelessly to serve. With this year being an election year, my hope is that attendees will recognize that our economic freedom is directly related to political power and our vote does matter.”
The Tulsa Massacre references an event that took place just over 100 years ago, when a vicious mob of white people destroyed Greenwood, a prosperous Black neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To date, it has still never fully recovered from the tragedy. Now affectionately referred to as Black Wall Street, one women is aiming to help restore to its former glory.
Historians have identified the event as one of the most significant evidences of how systemic racism created the pervasive racial wealth gap still felt to this day. To be exact, the white rioters destroyed more than $27 million of Black property in today’s dollars. The Joint Economic Committee says that the 1921 event resulted in a decline in home ownership, lower average occupational status, net worth, and educational attainment for Blacks in Tulsa.
More information about the expo can be found here.