A Black History Month Special Presentation: Remembering Black Wall Street 90 Years Later

(A portion of the evening’s proceeds will go to the Tulsa Project, which is dedicated to the the battle for reparations for the survivors and descendants of the the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot.)

Before They Die!: The True Story of the Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot and the Quest for Justice

Reggie Turner, 2008, 92 min.

This is the story of what is perhaps the the worst race riot in the history of the United States that many people have never even heard of. On May 30th, 1921, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in less than 24 hours, the prosperous African-American section of Greenwood, also known as “Black Wall Street,” was completely destroyed. An estimated 300 killed, and over 10,000 people displaced overnight as a 42 square block area of their homes and businesses were burned to the ground by a white mob that had been deputized by the sheriff. This is the story of the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot and their quest for justice.  This is the story of the struggle for the soul of America and the efforts to right a wrong that is long past due. Justice is the subject of the night’s film.

Q&A with director Reggie Turner