GARVEY LIVES!!! GARVEY LIVES!!! GARVEY LIVES!!!
MOSIAH LIVES!!! MOSIAH LIVES!!! MOSIAH LIVES!!!
Self-reliance was an essential tenet of Marcus Garvey;s Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL). Indeed he declared:
“There is a world of opportunities awaiting us, and it is for us through unity of will and of purpose, to say we shall and we will play our part upon the great human stage of activity.” (1)
In truth, the agenda of the UNIA-ACL could never have been as successful had these tendencies not already existed among the people, absent perhaps the overarching ideology of African Fundamentalism. This was evidenced, for example, in the various economically dynamic communities that existed in places like North Carolina, Virginia, Detroit, New York and Chicago but most famously in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the UNIA-ACL was active. (2)
The area of Greenwood in Tulsa was described as a “self-sufficient urban centre encompassed by a complex web of more than fifty Black Oklahoma townships.” the average dollar would stay within the community’s network of households and firms for approximately 19 months before being spent elsewhere. (3)
All this changed on May 31st 1921 when, under yet another false pretext as advanced in countless lynchings, a white mob of 10,000, many deputised by the governmental law enforcement to imprison and murder attacked including dropping bombs from planes, killing 300 and leaving 10,000 homeless. Most of the dead were buried unidentified in mass graves. In fact, only eighteen of those murdered were buried with death certificates. (4)
The assaults on the community did not stop there. Insurance companies deliberately called the massacre a “riot” to avoid paying compensation. From the 1960s to the 1980s the government actively thwarted rebuilding efforts with “a mix of policies that included eminent domain, rezoning, and highway construction led to displacement and plunging property values, while racist redlining policies prevented the injection of new capital into the community.” (5)
Aside from this, the history of the atrocity was shrouded in a virtual conspiracy of silence. It wasn’t until 1997 that the state formed a commission in 1997 to investigate the massacre. The heinous nature of the crimes has yet to move state and national officials who consistently fail to accede to the decades long demands for justice and reparations from survivors, over one hundred years-old. Hugh Van Ellis, known as “Uncle Red,” passed away in October 2023, at 102, while Mama Viola Ford Fletcher, passed away last November aged 111. The only known remaining survivor is Lessie Benningfield Randle, known as Mother Randle aged 111. (6)
Another key aspect of the fight for justice is remembrance. Telling the true story of the Tulsa Race Massacre is a mission undertaken by Chief Egunwale Amusan, himself related to survivors of the massacre. He established The Real Black Wall Street Tour stating: “The primary objective of the Real Black Wall Street Tour is to provide individuals with a platform for engaging in open discourse and a comprehensive exploration of historical events.” (7) Such an undertaking is vital in a climate where the American government itself has openly declared war on Black history. (8)
More than this, Chief Amusan advocates reconnecting with our spiritual essence and sacralising the ground where our Ancestors were slain as well as giving them a proper burial: “Any ground holding massacre victims becomes sacred. The ground holds pour bones, our ashes and our memories. The ground is also the basis for our future.” (9)
Tulsa Race Massacre robbed Afrikan people of millions of dollars with a direct financial impact up to the present for an atrocity that happened in living memory. Some analysts have suggested reparations in the region of $200 million to pay for education, housing and business support. Last year Tulsa’s first Black Mayor, Monroe Nichols, announced the Greenwood Trust — a $105 million charitable initiative. In a released statement, his office said:
“While the City of Tulsa cannot undo the harm of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, it can choose a road to repair to invest in justice, opportunity, and dignity and begin to repair the harm to those who survived and were impacted by the Tulsa Race Massacre and the subsequent disinvestment of the historic Greenwood District and North Tulsa.” (10)
Some may consider these schemes an insult, others may say it’s a start. One factor might be whether Black Tulsans in this case or our community at large are constituted, politically, spiritually and otherwise to utilise them.
(1) garveylhkgn (04/12/20) Self-reliance: An essential tenet of Garvey. https://garveylhkgn.wordpress.com/2020/12/04/self-reliance-an-essential-tenet-of-garvey/
(2) Bridgette Bartlett Royall (27/02/26) Historic Black Wall Streets You Should Know Besides Tulsa. https://www.essence.com/uncategorized/9-historic-black-wall-streets-you-should-know/
(3) Chief Egunwale Amusan (20236) America’s Black Wall Street: The Untold Story of Broken Treaties, Black Resistance, Political Fear, and Sacred Ground. The Real Black Wall Sreet Tour Ltd. p. 18; Andre M. Perry, Anthony Barr, and Carl Romer (28/05/21) The true costs of the Tulsa race massacre, 100 years later. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-true-costs-of-the-tulsa-race-massacre-100-years-later/
(4) Glenn T. Stanton (02/02/21) The 1921 Massacre on Black Wall Street in Tulsa Oklahoma. https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/the-1921-massacre-on-black-wall-street-in-tulsa-oklahoma/; Juana Summers (19/05/21) Survivors Of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Share Eyewitness Accounts. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/19/998225207/survivors-of-1921-tulsa-race-massacre-share-eyewitness-accounts; Amusan. Op. Cit. p. 29, 10.
(5) Perry, Barr, and Romer. Op. Cit.
(6) Sam Cabral (12/06/24) Oklahoma court rejects Tulsa Massacre survivors suit. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjmm8dnxz00o; Jonathan Greco (11/11/24) Lessie Benningfield Randle, one of the last known Tulsa Race Massacre survivors, turns 110. https://www.koco.com/article/lessie-benningfield-randle-tulsa-race-massacre-survivor-turns-110/62873642
(7) Amusan. p. 23
(8) Trey Walk (10/04/25) The Trump Administration’s Assaults on Black History. https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/04/10/trump-administrations-assaults-black-history
(9) Amusan. p. 12
(10) Deena Zaru (02/06/25) $105M reparations plan for descendants of 1921 Tulsa race massacre unveiled by mayor. https://abcnews.com/US/105m-reparations-plan-descendants-1921-tulsa-race-massacre/story?id=122422022
we ask the question:
What is the true legacy of ‘Black Wall Street’?
1) What ideology drove the creation of Black Wall Street?
2) What would justice for the Tulsa Race Massacre look like?
3) Should the compensation offer be taken seriously?
4) Is it harder to build a “Black Wall Street” today than in Greenwood’s heyday?
Our Special Guest:
Chief Egunwale Amusan: isa lifelong Tulsa resident and descendant of Black Wall Street Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a prominent history recovery specialist and president of the African Ancestral Society. He founded the Black Wall Street Memorial March Weekend, an annual event spanning decades, and owns The Real Black Wall Street Tour, a family-operated business. As a social entrepreneur, his work is highlighted in Essence Magazine.
Chief Amusan has played influential roles in African American affairs and was a former advisor to the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce. Former board member at the Center for Public Secrets and a member of the Tulsa Community Remembrance Coalition in partnership with Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative. This includes close collaboration with the Justice For Greenwood Foundation His advocacy includes testifying before Congress in 2021 on behalf of Tulsa Massacre descendants and survivors.
A sought-after consultant, Chief Amusan has collaborated with filmmakers such as producer Tricia Woodgett, director Darnell Martin, and director Sterlin Harjo. He is the executive producer of the documentary Oaklawn. The documentary provides an insightful investigation into the hidden truths behind the 1921 Mass Graves investigation. Executive director and producer of the film Up From the Earth Out Through The People, honoring decades of service through The Black Wall Street Memorial March.
Amusan is the author of the groundbreaking book America’s Black Wall Street The Untold Story of Broken Treaties, Black Resistance, Political Fear, and Sacred Ground.
Chief Amusan’s work and expertise are found in the Peabody Award-winning WNYC Studios podcast Blindspot as well as prominent documentaries such as the Emmy Award-winning LeBron James film’ Dreamland: The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street and Jeffrey Robinson’s Who We Are Project. Chief Amusan is a National Geographic 2892 Miles to Go storyteller and currently serves on the Preserve Route 66 Advisory .
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