Black Wall Street May Soon Be Granted National Monument Status

The Senate is considering a bipartisan bill that would give Black Wall Street national monument status, ABC News reports.

In 1921, Tulsa's then-thriving Greenwood District, known by many as Black Wall Street, was destroyed by a white mob during a massacre that left an estimated 300 Black people dead and businesses and homes burned to the ground.

A bill to grant Black Wall Street national monument status was introduced by Senators Cory Booker and James Lankford. Tulsa Race Massacre defendants and advocacy group leaders met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for the bill ahead of a hearing on Wednesday (May 15). Written testimony from Tiffany Crutcher, head of the Terence Crutcher Foundation, and Reuben Gant, executive director of the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation was added to the congressional record.

The Historic Greenwood District Black Wall Street National Monument Coalition said national monument status would "help catalyze the resurgence of this economic and cultural hub after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre gutted one of the most remarkable success stories that America has ever seen."

"May 31, 2024, marks 103 years since the start of a ruthless effort to wipe Black Wall Street off the map -- and a state-sponsored campaign to erase it from America's memory," the group said in a statement. "With one voice, we stress to this subcommittee that the time is now to help us preserve the rich heritage and lessons that make this community such an indelible part of our nation's story."

With two remaining survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre — Viola Fletcher, 110, and 109-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle — the group urged Congress to act quickly on the bill.

"Fortunately, there are still massacre survivors who are alive and eager to witness Congress take a historic step toward making the Greenwood community whole. But we're running out of time," the coalition said.

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