Rise in Hope: Tulsa churches unite in remembrance of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

104 Years

It’s been 104 years since one of Tulsa’s darkest days. In 1921, a white mob destroyed the thriving Black community of Greenwood, known as Black Wall Street. 35 blocks filled with homes, businesses, schools, and churches were all reduced to ashes.  Pastor Jamal Dyer with Friendship Church says the scars from the Tulsa Race Massacre still linger.

“An act of violence so atrocious as the Tulsa Race Massacre is never something that you get over, it’s something that you learn to get through,” he said. 

Healing Through Faith

But through faith, the Tulsa community is working to heal those wounds. Pastor Dyer says churches have a unique role when it comes to keeping that legacy of Black Wall Street alive. 

“The church is very key and instrumental in ensuring we are not whitewashing our history or hiding our history but being on the forefront of telling our history in a way that we can lament and heal from it, but also to see how we build from it,” said Pastor Dyer. 

A Show of Unity

Six local churches are coming together for an evening of remembrance and unity to commemorate the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, through the Rise in Hope event.

“We hope people are able to take away from this service a way of reflecting on our past, lamenting on our past, and healing from our past as we move forward towards the future,” said Pastor Dyer.