May 4, 2021
As part of a series of programs offered to commemorate the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a new exhibit using resources available through the Tulsa City-County Library (TCCL), titled “TCCL Remembers – Commemorating Tulsa’s Race Massacre with Education, Empathy and Healing,” is now open at Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford. This walk-through exhibit is free for customers of all ages to view during library hours.
The purpose of this exhibit is to foster education about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by making materials and resources accessible to children and adults, to build empathy by compelling audiences to reflect on the human cost of institutionalized racism, and to promote healing through sharing the stories of Tulsa Race Massacre survivors with a larger audience. The TCCL Remembers exhibit offers a unique, immersive way for participants to learn about this tragic historical event as well as the racial and political conditions leading up to and following the Tulsa Race Massacre itself.
Spanning three rooms, this exhibit aims to help participants:
- Discover Black Wall Street prior to 1921 with panels about the history and businesses of the Greenwood area in Section 1.
- Learn about the events of May 31-June 1, 1921 through a detailed timeline, firsthand accounts, newspaper headlines and more in Section 2.
- Explore some of the progress made toward healing in the 100 years since the Massacre in Section 3.
- Witness firsthand accounts from survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre filmed by author Eddie Faye Gates in the 1990s as well as interviews with current Greenwood business owners; watch videos featuring Kimberly Johnson, chief executive officer at Tulsa City-County Library, authors Hannibal Johnson and Clifton Taulbert, and Rudisill Regional Library’s manager, Keith Jemison.
- Think about the impact of this information on you, our city and others by leaving a message of healing on the interactive wall.
Additional features include an art installation at the library’s entrance by Crystal Z. Campbell, a multidisciplinary artist, experimental filmmaker and writer of African American, Filipino and Chinese descents. Visit crystalzcampbell.com for more information.
This exhibit is sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust. TCCL is a proud recipient of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission Grant Program. All grants have been made possible from the generosity of WPX Energy.
The content in this exhibit represents a small portion of the information available through Tulsa City-County Library concerning the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Additional resources for further education on the subject, as well as exhibit details, are available at www.tulsalibrary.org/TCCL-remembers.