CNN opinion | My great-grandmother survived the 1921 Tulsa massacre. We’re not heeding her history
(CNN) – A century ago, my Black
brothers and sisters were decimated by one of the worst occurrences of racial
violence in our nation’s history. On May 31 and June 1, 1921, White gangs
flooded into the thriving Greenwood neighborhood and murdered up to 300 Black
men, women and children. According to the
Tulsa Historical Society, 1,500 Black homes were burned, along with over 600
businesses, and places of worship, healing, learning and gathering.
My great-grandmother,
Rebecca Brown Crutcher — a woman who was the picture of Black excellence —
lived and worked in the Greenwood community. But in 1921, she fled in fear of
her life as White Tulsans burned her neighborhood to the ground. —read
more—
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