The 1921 Greenwood Massacre: White Supremacists Bomb Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street”

On May 31–June 1, 1921, a white supremacist mob attacked Tulsa’s Greenwood District, known as “Black Wall Street.” Eyewitnesses and historical reports confirm that private airplanes dropped incendiary bombs, while rioters burned more than 35 city blocks. The violence left over 300 people dead and displaced around 10,000 residents. Local police and National Guard members reportedly joined the attack. Survivors’ insurance claims were denied, and many victims were buried in unmarked graves. This event remains one of the deadliest acts of racial violence in U.S. history and highlights the resilience of the Greenwood community in the face of systemic injustice.

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