Tulsa massacre: 100 years on

The US president went to Tulsa in Oklahoma. It was an important day. 100 years ago, lots of Black people died.

President Biden: “My fellow Americans, this was not a riot. This was a massacre.”

White people killed 300 African Americans. They burned the homes of 10,000 Black people. But nobody talked about it. Now they want to teach people about it.

Barbara Tottress: "This has been hidden for so long. This has been hidden. It was not taught in our schools."

Beverly Smith: "It's really wild. It should be in textbooks. It should be everywhere. People need to know about this. I mean, why keep it a secret?"

On 31st May 1921, the police caught a Black man. They put him in jail. Hundreds of angry white people waited outside. Lots of Black people went to the jail. They were worried about the young man.

A gun fight started. African Americans ran to Greenwood. Greenwood was a rich Black area. It had banks and businesses. The group of white people started fires. They burned down Greenwood.

President Biden: “For much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence – cloaked in darkness. But just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place."

President Biden wants to help African Americans. Today, life is difficult for them too. Biden's government will help Black people start businesses.

Anthony Hutton: "And, you know, again, looking for a lot more than rhetoric and gestures. You know, we're looking for results, you know. We're looking for, you know, opportunity, economic opportunity. The same opportunity they had, you know, elsewhere all around town."

Words aren’t enough for people in Tulsa. They want action. The government talked about giving money 20 years ago. Weniger anzeigen