karlos k. hill believes in the power of photography to tell a story.
After all, it is the medium he chose for his new book to illustrate the harrowing, real-life story of one of America’s worst episodes of racial injustice.
You are reading: Tulsa race massacre books
Published in March through the University of Oklahoma Press, “The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921: A Photographic History” features a variety of photographs taken before, during, and after the massacre, mostly by photographers. white, including some images published for the first time. weather.
“The goal was to try to find the most compelling images of what happened and match those images with recollections or survivors’ recollections of what happened,” said Hill, an associate professor and chair of Clara’s Africa and Africa department. luper. -American studies.
“the hope is that we can understand what happened in the photos from the point of view of the victims, the survivors and their descendants. so, I hope that as I do those things, people learn about this history “.
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 was hidden for decades and omitted from the history books even in Oklahoma, but as the centennial approaches, several new books, along with documentaries, visual arts exhibits, performing arts projects and more, are delving into the tragedy.
Between May 31 and June 1, 1921, mobs of white residents attacked, burned, and ultimately destroyed the Greenwood district, at the time one of the wealthiest black communities in the United States, causing it earned the name “black wall”. street.”
From children’s picture books and historical fiction to detailed histories and even a graphic novel, here are 15 books to check out about the Tulsa Race Massacre:
1. ‘The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: A Photographic History’
by karlos k. hill, foreword by kevin matthews (ou press)
This illustrated volume features more than 175 photographs, plus two maps, along with oral testimonies.
the first volume in the greenwood cultural center’s series on the history and culture of the african diaspora, includes a foreword by the state senator. kevin matthews, founder and chairman of the 1921 tulsa race massacre centennial commission.
more:tulsa kicks off dedication ceremonies ahead of 100th anniversary of race massacre
2. ‘black wall street 100: an american city grapples with its historic racial trauma’
by aníbal b. johnson (eakin press)
a member of the 1921 tulsa race massacre centennial commission and the commission on 400 years of black history, johnson’s latest book on the tulsa tragedy provides an in-depth look at what sets tulsa apart today from tulsa a century ago.
The winner of the 2020-2021 Arrell Gibson Award from the Oklahoma Book Awards for Lifetime Achievement, Johnson has previously published the books “Images of America: Tulsa’s Greenwood Historic District” and “Black Wall Street: From Riots to renaissance in tulsa’s greenwood historic district”. “About the Tulsa Race Massacre.
3. ‘Fire in Beulah’
by rilla askew (penguin books)
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Oklahoma author Rilla Askew received the American Book Award for her 2001 novel, which tells the intertwined story of two families, one black and one white, in the early days of the oklahoma oil rush. Set against a backdrop of oil boom opulence, lynching, hatred and fear, the story reaches a violent climax with racial slaughter.
as the novel turns 20 years old, greenwood fledgling theater productions in tulsa are working to mount a new play based on askew’s novel, adapted for the stage by marta reiman, with music by chris combs and johnny polygon . an online preview of scenes from the play is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 21th. For more information, visit http://greenwoodtheatrical.org.
4. ‘the pioneer: an american city and its search for justice’
by scott ellsworth (dutton)
Historian and Tulsa native Scott Ellsworth’s 1982 book “Death in a Promised Land: The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921” featured a foreword by iconic Black historian and Oklahoma native John Hope Franklin and is considered the first history Full published of the massacre. Though it has remained in print ever since, he returned to Tulsa in 2020, working to find the unmarked graves of massacre victims. After months of unsuccessful excavations, his team found evidence of a mass grave at Oaklawn Cemetery in October, and they recently received clearance to continue their exhumation efforts this summer.
tulsa magic city books will host their virtual launch event for their new book at 7 p.m. May 18; for tickets and information go to https://magiccitybooks.com/event/virtual-event-scott-ellsworth.
5. ‘The Nation Must Awake: My Witness to the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921’
by maria e. jones parish (trinity university press)
black professor and journalist mary e. Jones Parrish (1892-1972) and her daughter fled their home in fear for their lives on May 31, 1921, the first night of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Parrish’s first-person account, along with dozens more’s recollections collected in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, will be published on May 18 to a wide audience for the first time.
The book includes an afterword by Parrish’s great-granddaughter, Anneliese M. bruner, who plans to be in tulsa this month to participate in the centennial commemoration, and an introduction by the late john hope franklin and scott ellsworth.
6. ‘aamila’s adventure: remembering the tulsa race massacre of 1921’
by tara henderson (rosedog books)
tara henderson, director of the tulsa public schools unity learning academy, recently published her first children’s book, about a girl who learns of the tragic history of black wall street during summer vacation with her grandparents.
7. ‘Dreamland Burning’
by jennifer latham (little brown books for young readers)
The 2017 young adult mystery thriller from Tulsa-based author Jennifer Latham delves into the history of racial massacre through the dual narratives of two biracial teens living in Tulsa during different time periods.
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8. ‘the burning: the tulsa race massacre of 1921’
by tim madigan (st. martin publishing group)
First published in 2001, Tim Madigan’s harrowing account of the racial massacre will be published in a new centenary edition, including a new afterword, on May 11.
9. ‘The Victory of Greenwood’
by carlos moreno (jenkin lloyd-jones press)
tulsan carlos moreno invites readers to learn more about the full history of the greenwood community through the lives of some of its most notable figures, including john and loula williams, b.c. franklin and the rev. well h. closed. Due out June 2, his new collection of 20 historical biographies dispels myths and inaccuracies about the events leading up to the racial massacre through newly discovered primary sources.
magic city books will host a virtual event with moreno at 7 p.m. May 24; for more information go to https://magiccitybooks.com/event/virtual-event-carlos-moreno.
10. ‘tulsa, 1921: reporting a massacre’
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by randy krehbiel (or press)
a veteran journalist in the world of tulsa, randy krehbiel analyzes local newspaper accounts in an unprecedented effort to gain insight into the minds of contemporary tulsans. He considers how the Tulsa World, the Tulsa Tribune, and other publications contributed to the circumstances that led to the massacre and helped solidify enduring white justifications for it. The new book includes a foreword by Karlos K. closed.
11. ‘Magic City’
by jewell parker rhodes (perennial harper)
Originally published in 1997, Jewel Parker Rhodes’ historical fiction book was one of the first novels set in 1920s Tulsa and focused on racial massacre. To mark the centennial, Harper Perennial republishes Rhodes’ novel of racism, vigilantism, and injustice that intertwines history, mysticism, and murder in a tale of dreams and violence gone awry. the reissue includes a new author’s note reflecting the anniversary.
12. ‘black birds in the sky: the history and legacy of the 1921 tulsa race massacre’
by brandy colbert (harpercollins publishers)
will be out in October. 5, brandy colbert’s nonfiction book seeks to answer teen readers how the tulsa race massacre happened, what exactly happened, and why the events are unknown to many of us today.
13. ‘unspeakable: the tulsa race massacre’
by carole boston weatherford, illustrated by floyd cooper (carolrhoda books)
Author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful yet sensitive introduction to racial slaughter with their children’s picture book for readers ages 8-12.
14. ‘Riot on Greenwood: The Total Destruction of Black Wall Street’
by eddie faye gates (eakin press)
Eddie Faye Gates, a Tulsa educator, historian, and activist who was appointed to the Tulsa Commission on Race Riots in 1998, offers a detailed account of the massacre. In 2020, Gates donated his extensive collection from the Tulsa Race Massacre of Eddie Faye Gates, which contains eyewitness accounts, photographs, and recorded stories from survivors, to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa.
15. ‘across the tracks: remembering greenwood, black wall street and the tulsa race massacre’
by alverne ball and illustrator stacey robinson (abrams comicarts – megascope)
With their non-fiction graphic novel, out Tuesday, writer Alverne Ball and illustrator Stacey Robinson write a love letter to the Greenwood district of Tulsa, a community whose importance is often overshadowed by the appalling 1921 massacre.
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