Dreams of Black Wall Street

Nia Clark

A look back in history at a time of great promise and great disappointment for Black Americans who dreamed of and struggled for the promise of community and full citizenship.

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Top 10 Dreams of Black Wall Street Episodes

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S1 E2: Oklahoma: A Promised Land

Dreams of Black Wall Street

02/19/20 • 28 min

To understand the rise and eventual fall of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, it’s important to understand the racial and economic conditions that contributed to it. These dynamics really started to take shape during Oklahoma's oil boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which attracted people of various ethnicities and income levels to the region. The discovery of oil in Indian Territory and later in what became the state of Oklahoma also spurred business and development in many parts of Oklahoma, including Tulsa. However, the opportunities a person had available to them in what we call the state of Oklahoma today, and how well they did under the changing economic circumstances, depended on a number of circumstances: namely ones race.

Guests of Episode 2 include Michelle Place, the Executive Director the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, as well as Eugene Harrod, Adjunct Professor at The College of the Muscogee Nation. Historical artifacts include an audio recording of an interview between Tulsa historian and author, Eddie Faye Gates, and a man named Alfred Barnett, who lived and worked in Tulsa at the time of the oil boom.

Musical Attributions

1. Glueworm Evening Blues (ID 994) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copyrite information. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Linked to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Glueworm_Blues_ID_994

2. Title: Driving to the Delta (ID 923) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copywite information: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Driving_to_the_Delta_ID_923_1563 Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Driving_to_the_Delta_ID_923_1563

3. Spirit Inside (ID 819) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copyright information: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/0) Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Tree_of_Meditation/Spirit_Inside_ID_819

4. African Moon by John Bartmann Link to license, disclaimer and copyright information: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ Link to Music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/african-moon

2 Listeners

S1 E3: Black Wall Street is Born

Dreams of Black Wall Street

03/04/20 • 40 min

Oil and the prospect of opportunity attracted people of various ethnicities, backgrounds, cultures and traditions to Oklahoma from across the country and beyond, One of the most culturally influential elements taking shape in the early 20th century in places across Oklahoma, particularly in dozens of all-black communities and towns, was Jazz. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Encyclopedia on Jazz, “To understand the history of jazz in Oklahoma, one must first consider the settlement patterns of the state, because they reflect its cultural diversity." At the same time, the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma was a thriving, prosperous, predominantly African American business district. The amount of wealth contained within the community earned it the nickname Black Wall Street.

The racial politics of the day meant that African Americans could neither live among whites, and if they did attempt to shop alongside of them, they were often discriminated against. While many African Americans at the time worked as servants or in service positions in Tulsa, they developed their own insular society and economy out of necessity. They desired to live in a place where they could enjoy their constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness while living in a community that allowed them to enjoy the fruits of their labor without facing the constant ugliness of racism or having to fear for their safety and lives. Black Tulsans in Greenwood decided to spend their wages in their own community, spawning an insular economy that included mostly black-owned businesses such as grocery stores, barbershops, hair salons, doctors offices, attorneys offices, hotels, transportation companies, newspapers and schools.

Guests of Episode 3 include, John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation Executive Director, Reuben Gant. Historical artifacts include an audio recording of an interview between Tulsa historian and author, Eddie Faye Gates, and Tulsa Race Massacre survivor, Wilhelmina Guess Howell.

Musical Attributions

2 Listeners

S1 E1: The "Five Civilized Tribes" & The Complicated History of Blacks & Native Americans

Dreams of Black Wall Street

02/19/20 • 36 min

The racial tensions that led to the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 did not begin in 1921. They began decades before the city of Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma were formed. Episode 1 will look back at the various ethnic groups that inhabited Indian Territory and later the state of Oklahoma in the 19th century, how they contributed to the foundation of the state, including Tulsa, and how the racial as well as socio-economic dynamics of the region at the time were related to the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Guests include Dr. Bob Blackburn, who is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, as well as Eugene Harrod, who currently works as Adjunct Professor at The College of the Muscogee Nation. Historical artifacts include an audio recording of an interview between Tulsa author and historian, Eddie Faye Gates, and a woman named Thelma DeEtta Perryman Gray, who is a descendant of some of Tulsa's founders. Her great grandfather was Lewis Perryman, who is considered one of the founding fathers of what became known as "Tulsey Town."

Musical Attributions

2 Listeners

SE03 EP1: Wilmington, North Carolina Before the Insurrection of 1898

Dreams of Black Wall Street

11/10/21 • 50 min

Journalist, podcast host and producer, Nia Clark, revisits often overlooked but important parts of North Carolina's history that have played a significant part in shaping some of the state's most influential African American communities such as Wilmington, Raleigh, James City, Princeville and Durham. Clark also begins a deep dive exploration of the city of Wilmington before the 1898 Wilmington Insurrection and Coup d'Etat. Guests on this episode include attorney, legal scholar and author of Jim Crow in North Carolina: The Legislative Program from 1865 to 1920, Richard Paschal, as well as North Carolina Central State University Law Professor Irving Joyner.
Musical Attribution:
1. Title: African Moon by John Bartmann. License, disclaimer and copyright information: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
Link to Music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/african-moon
2. Title: Window Sparrows by Axletree. Licensed under a Attribution License. License, disclaimer and copyright information: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Axletree/Ornamental_EP/Window_Sparrows
Several musical selections are also provided by the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.

2 Listeners

S1 E4: The Red Summer of 1919 (Part 2)

Dreams of Black Wall Street

03/11/20 • 27 min

The Red Summer of 1919 refers to the period between the spring and fall of that year (specifically, between April and November), during which time about 25 or so race riots, massacres and instances of mob-inspired violence exploded throughout the country. The most brutal and vicious occurred in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Elaine Arkansas. Additionally,nearly 100 lynchings of African Americans were recorded in that year. With heightened racial tension across the nation, it was against this backdrop that the Tulsa Race Massacre occurred two years later. Part 2 of this two-part episode will feature parts of the documentary, "Knoxville's Red Summer," to do a deep dive into the Knoxville Race Riots of 1919 as an example of some of factors that precipitated riots and mob violence around the country. The documentary was produced by Black in Appalachia, which works to highlight the history of African Americans in the Appalachian Mountains as well as the visibility and contributions of black communities in the Mountain South.

Listeners will hear from Cameron McWhirter, Wall Street Journal Reporter and author of Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America.

Musical Attributions

S1 E15: Season Finale - Tulsa's Story

Dreams of Black Wall Street

08/13/20 • 62 min

For decades, a number of scholars and experts have been at the forefront of efforts to tell the story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. During this time the tragedy remained largely unknown among most Americans. In recent years however, great strides have been made in the effort to bring more attention to the event and help those who would listen understand that the Massacre is emblematic of the Black experience in America at the time and is as much a part of American history as any other major national, historical event. Much of what is known about the Massacre is due in part to the testimonies and eye witness accounts of Tulsa Race Massacre survivors and their family members. Hundreds of interviews detailing these accounts exist in large part because of the efforts of educator, historian and author, Eddie Faye Gates who recorded their experiences in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Many of these accounts and recordings have been made available to feature on this podcast thanks to the generosity of experts on the subject matter who have been documenting this history for years, including those who have worked with Mrs. Gates. While this podcast tells the story of the events surrounding the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the story of the tragedy is still being written, in part by those who are invested in revitalizing the the district of Greenwood in the hopes that it might one day resemble some semblance of the thriving community once known as Black Wall Street. Guests in this episode include Chair of the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, Oklahoma State Senator Kevin Matthews. Listeners will also hear recordings of a number of Tulsa Race Massacre survivors as well as educator, historian and author, Eddie Faye Gates. Musical Attributions 1.Glueworm Evening Blues (ID 994) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copyrite information. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Linked to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Glueworm_Blues_ID_994 2. Title: Driving to the Delta (ID 923) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copywite information: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Driving_to_the_Delta_ID_923_1563 Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Driving_to_the_Delta_ID_923_1563 3. Spirit Inside (ID 819) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copyright information: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/0) Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Tree_of_Meditation/Spirit_Inside_ID_819 4. African Moon by John Bartmann Link to license, disclaimer and copyright information: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ Link to Music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/african-moon

S3 Commemorative Special: 123 Years after the 1898 Wilmington Insurrection and Coup D'Etat

Dreams of Black Wall Street

11/24/21 • 71 min

A special episode commemorating the 123rd anniversary of the 1898 Wilmington Insurrection and Coup D'Etat with highlights from commemorative events in Wilmington, North Carolina. Listeners will hear from a number of local and elected leaders in Wilmington as well as a member of the "Wilmington 10," Dr. Benjamin Chavis. Chavis returned to the city as a key note speaker at a special ceremony to commemorate the Wilmington Massacre decades after he was wrongfully convicted of conspiracy and arson along with nine other civil rights activists.

S1 E6: Black Wall Street Burning (Part 2) - A Descendants Story

Dreams of Black Wall Street

04/08/20 • 31 min

The episode is Part 2 of a deep dive into the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred between May 31st and June 1st of 1921. Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed. Thousands were left homeless. And the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma - also known as Black Wall Street - was completely destroyed. Some witnesses and survivors reported seeing and hearing bombs dropped on the community of Greenwood or Black Wall Street. Some experts believe they were turpentine bombs. One of the most prominent people to be killed during the massacre was Dr. A.C. Jackson - a black surgeon who lived in Greenwood. He was called the most able Negro surgeon in America by the Mayo brothers (who founded the world renowned Mayo Clinic), and transcended the color line, servicing both white and “Colored” patients. The Massacre of Black Wall Street did not just impact those who were victims. It also impacted their families as well as their descendants. Brenda Nails Alford shares her experience of learning about her own family's involvement later in life.Multimedia Journalist and TV Reporter, Nia Clark, interviews: Dr. Scott Ellsworth, writer, historian and professor in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan. Listeners will also hear an audio recordings of interview of Tulsa Race Massacre survivor Wilhelmina G. Howell who was also the niece of Dr. A.C. Jackson. Finally, listeners will hear from Virginia Waters Poulton, who lived in Tulsa during the Tulsa Race Massacre and describes her parents attempts to save an African American domestic employee who worked for her family. A special thanks to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum for allowing the use of their archival audio recording in this episode.

Musical Attributions

S1 E6: Black Wall Street Burning

Dreams of Black Wall Street

03/25/20 • 47 min

Between May 31st and June 1st of 1921, what the Oklahoma Historical Society calls quote, "the single worst incident of racial violence in American history," claimed the lives of potentially hundreds of people and left an entire community in Tulsa, Oklahoma completely decimated. That community, known as Greenwood - an African American district in North Tulsa, suffered a brutal attack by a white mob, which resulted in a horrific scene of chaos, destruction and bloodshed. The area, with a population of about 10,000 at the time, according to the historical society, had been considered one of the most affluent African American communities in the United States for the early part of the 20th century. For that reason it earned the name Black Wall Street.

Although the attack was decades in the making, allegations of assault coupled with boiling racial tensions and inflammatory newspaper articles are widely believed to be the cataclysmic events that sparked the attack. In this episode, listeners will hear audio recordings of interviews with two survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, including William Danforth Williams as well as Eunice Jackson.

Featured guests in this episode include:

Dr. Scott Ellsworth, writer, historian and professor in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan.

-Hannibal B. Johnson, attorney, consultant and author of Black Wall Street.

-Dr. Alicia Odewale, associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tulsa. A special thanks to the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum for allowing the use of their archival audio recordings in this episode.

Musical Attribution:

Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Glueworm_Blues_ID_994

Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Driving_to_the_Delta_ID_923_1563

Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Tree_of_Meditation/Spirit_Inside_ID_819

4. African Moon by John Bartmann Link to license, disclaimer and copyright information: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Link to Music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/african-moon

SE 04 EP 03 SENECA VILLAGE (MANHATTAN)

Dreams of Black Wall Street

08/15/23 • 81 min

An exploration of what was once the 19th century settlement known as Seneca Village. Before Central Park was created, the landscape along the Park’s perimeter from West 82nd to West 89th Street was the site of Seneca Village, a community of predominantly African-Americans, many of whom owned property. Over time, other immigrant groups began to settle there, though it remained a predominantly African American settlement. By 1855, the village consisted of approximately 225 residents, made up of roughly two-thirds African-Americans, one-third Irish immigrants, and a small number of individuals of German descent. One of a few African-American enclaves at the time, Seneca Village allowed residents to live away from the more built-up sections of downtown Manhattan and escape the unhealthy conditions and racial discrimination they faced there. By the late 1850’s the city took over the land on which the village sat through eminent domain, and about 1,600 people were displaced. Seneca Village had been all but forgotten until its history was rediscovered in the late 20th century. Guests include archeologists Diana Wall and Nan Rothschild and Bard Graduate Center Professor, Dr. Meredith Linn. Listeners will also hear a previously recorded interview with historian Cynthia Copeland.

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FAQ

How many episodes does Dreams of Black Wall Street have?

Dreams of Black Wall Street currently has 58 episodes available.

What topics does Dreams of Black Wall Street cover?

The podcast is about History and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Dreams of Black Wall Street?

The episode title 'S1 E2: Oklahoma: A Promised Land' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Dreams of Black Wall Street?

The average episode length on Dreams of Black Wall Street is 49 minutes.

How often are episodes of Dreams of Black Wall Street released?

Episodes of Dreams of Black Wall Street are typically released every 13 days, 19 hours.

When was the first episode of Dreams of Black Wall Street?

The first episode of Dreams of Black Wall Street was released on Feb 18, 2020.

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Dreams of Black Wall Street

Nia Clark

Top 10 Dreams of Black Wall Street Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Dreams of Black Wall Street have?

What topics does Dreams of Black Wall Street cover?

What is the most popular episode on Dreams of Black Wall Street?

What is the average episode length on Dreams of Black Wall Street?

How often are episodes of Dreams of Black Wall Street released?

When was the first episode of Dreams of Black Wall Street?

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