Reclaimed & Rewritten - 1. The Myth of Black Wall Street

1. The Myth of Black Wall Street

12/07/21 • 30 min

Welcome to Reclaimed and Rewritten, a new podcast by gal-dem uncovering and telling the whole truth of our complicated histories. In our first season, Clarkisha Kent will be exploring the myths and realities of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre that decimated the town’s thriving black community. Speaking with journalists and historians in this first episode, Clarkisha investigates how Tulsa’s famed ‘Deep Greenwood’ community was created and thrived beyond economic success, and how it became the target of white supremacist rage and envy.

Written and Produced by Aiwan Obinyan

Production and Sound Design by AiAi Studios

Production Assistant - Adedamola Bajomo

Executive Producers at gal-dem - Moya Lothian McLean & Suyin Haynes

Creative Producers at gal-dem - Bijal Shah & Mariel Richards

Graphics - Karis Pierre

Hosted by Clarkisha Kent

Guests: Dr Jerrolyn Eulinberg, Karla Slocum, Scott Ellsworth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Written and Produced by Aiwan Obinyan

Production and Sound Design by AiAi Studios

Production Assistant - Adedamola Bajomo

Executive Producers at gal-dem - Moya Lothian McLean & Suyin Haynes

Creative Producers at gal-dem - Bijal Shah & Mariel Richards

Graphics - Karis Pierre

Hosted by Clarkisha Kent

Guests: Dr Jerrolyn Eulinberg, Karla Slocum, Scott Ellsworth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

LONG TRAILER - gal-dem Presents: Reclaimed and Rewritten

gal-dem Presents: Reclaimed & Rewritten.

For the better part of the last century, the story of Oklahoma’s Tulsa massacre has been forcibly relegated to the shadows of history. However, a renewed focus in digging up the past – particularly when it pertains to historic wrongs perpetrated against Black people – has recently brought the horrific tale back into the spotlight. Yet retellings via our new mediums, like social media and short-form viral articles, have morphed the events of 31 May 1921 into something else entirely: the demolition of a mythical “Black Wall Street”.

Recentering the conversation, we will uncover the community behind the headlines, Deep Greenwood. We’ll explore what actually happened during the state supported

massacre, the laws that were enacted following it and the echoes that remain today, and how these can help us to understand a terrifying legacy of anti-black racism that echoes between the U.K. and the U.S.

Hosted by critic and writer Clarkisha Kent, we ask the question - Black Wall Street, myth or reality?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

2. What We Think We Know

In this second episode of Reclaimed and Rewritten, Clarkisha unpacks the story of Dick Rowland, an African-American shoe shine boy whose story is cited as the so-called trigger for the 1921 Tulsa massacre. Clarkisha also explores the role of community organising in building Deep Greenwood, as well as the erasure of, and mythologies around, black life in Tulsa and beyond.

Written and Produced by Aiwan Obinyan

Production and Sound Design by AiAi Studios

Production Assistant - Adedamola Bajomo

Executive Producers at gal-dem - Moya Lothian McLean & Suyin Haynes

Creative Producers at gal-dem - Bijal Shah & Mariel Richards

Graphics - Karis Pierre

Hosted by Clarkisha Kent

Guests: Dr Jerrolyn Eulinberg, Karla Slocum, Scott Ellsworth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.