The
Black Wall Street
Society

The Black Wall Street Society Logo

Join our exclusive society of Black-owned businesses committed to creating opportunities for excellence in the arts and honoring the legacy of Black Wall Street.

Bustling Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with streets lined with cars and people, before the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921.

Honoring the legacy
of Black Wall Street

In 1921, Greenwood was a vibrant, prosperous community built by and for Black people in the city of Tulsa. With affordable housing, excellent schooling, a wealth of entrepreneurs and jobs, a thriving music scene, beautiful places of worship, and well-used networks of neighborly care, Greenwood became a beacon of hope and possibility for Black communities in America.

Greenwood’s beacon was so bright, in fact, that the business district was nicknamed “Black Wall Street”.

A beacon is
burned down

The promise of Greenwood did not go unnoticed, and domestic terrorists waited for an opportunity to lash out.

May 31, 1921 saw mobs of white domestic terrorists carry out a large-scale, racially-motivated attack on Greenwood. The terrorists murdered hundreds of people, shattered and displaced dozens of families by setting fire to their homes and businesses, leaving only bricks and cinders of Black Wall Street.

Smoke billows over burning buildings in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the 1921 massacre.

Smoke billows over burning buildings in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the 1921 massacre. Source: Library of Congress

Through their financial commitments, our members collectively commemorate this unprecedented event in American history and provide crucial support for festival.

Our Members

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Join a dynamic community of Black-owned businesses in championing our festival.

Black woman dancing in a beautiful white dress. Dimli lit with tones of blue and yellow.
Black woman dancing in a beautiful white dress. Dimli lit with tones of blue and yellow.
Tulsa's Loula and John Williams, who came to embody the entrepreneurial spirit of Greenwood.

“Loula and John Williams came to embody the entrepreneurial spirit of Greenwood. They owned a confectionery at 102 Greenwood Avenue, and the East End Garage around the corner on Archer Street” - Source: The New York Times

Discover the untold history of Black Wall Street

The 1921 a Wall Street Massacre was largely ignored by mainstream media and omitted from history books for decades. Only in recent years have efforts been made to acknowledge and address the impact of the massacre on the Black community and to seek justice and reparations.

For more information about the Black Wall Street Massacre and how to support the descendants of the victims, visit the following organizations’ websites: