Black Wall Street lecture to reflect on 1921 massacre
Historian Syl Woolford will present a live, online lecture discussing the 1921 Greenwood Massacre and the destruction of Black Wall Street at 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11, hosted by the Lewes Public Library.
In the early 1900s, Tulsa, Okla., became the oil capital of the world. Within this boomtown, the African American neighborhood of Greenwood had a thriving business district known as Black Wall Street. On May 31, 1921, this prosperous Black community was destroyed by a violent white mob in one of the deadliest and most destructive race riots in American history. Hundreds of lives were lost, and entire city blocks were burned to the ground. On the 100-year anniversary of the Greenwood Massacre, Woolford reflects on the development of Black Wall Street, racial tensions leading to the riot, and attempts by city officials to erase the massacre from history books.
The Zoom-based lecture is free to the public. Registration is required. To register, go to lewes.lib.de.us and visit the Virtual Programs for Adults page.
“The term ‘Black Wall Street’ stimulates the imagination of many who know about this event,” said Woolford. “This presentation separates the imagination from the reality.”
Woolford is a member of the Delaware Heritage Commission, the Historical and Cultural Affairs Collections Committee, the Historic Preservation Fund, and the Wilmington University History Committee. He has been recognized by the Delaware State Education Association/National Education Association and the NAACP for his contribution to the preservation of African American history.
