The myth is that Black poverty and crime or inherent traits of a flawed culture have existed since the time of American slavery. This myth was further exaggerated after the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865, which states:
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
The text is somewhat ironic, is it not? After 246 years of one of the most sadistic forms of slavery in human history, they still couldn’t completely divorce themselves from this crime against humanity.
Had the passage just said, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” This would have been perfect. But no, southern conservatives (who wore the party label of Democrats) at the time demanded a loophole
“Except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.”
Thanks to this exception, many southern states passed “Black Codes,” which would evolve into Jim Crow Laws. One of the most insidious laws was the “vagrancy laws,” which stated it was illegal for a man not to have a job. And guess who was without jobs after slavery?
Countless black men were rounded up and incarcerated, then forced to work at many of the jobs that turned them down when they were free for pennies and, in many cases, without pay at all.
Given the absurdly unfair conditions Black people faced following slavery, many still managed to build up great communities from less than nothing through the powers of cooperation, faith, and willpower.
In 1995, a movie called “White Man’s Burden” hit the theaters. It was a story about an alternate reality where the middle and upper class was comprised mainly of blacks, while whites were the poor minority. All the statistics involving crime were also reversed—the movie stars John Travolta and Harry Belafonte. Many people dismissed it at the time as a white apologist’s film.
Most of those people would be surprised to learn that this “alternate reality” actually did exist in our world. It was an area of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the early 20th century called “Little Africa,” also known by its more popular name: “Black Wall Street.”
Black Wall Street remains one of the most remarkable minority communities in the United States. This community had its banks, bus system, one of the best school systems in the country, movie theaters, indoor plumbing (a massive deal in those days), low crime, and a powerful sense of community. If one black person was in trouble, the community rallied to their aid. If a house burned down, it was rebuilt within a week!
Blacks practiced what was called “nepotism.” This basically means that the people in the community looked after themselves, and opportunities were passed down to family first. Economically, money could circulate within that community 100 times or up to one year before it went to the outside world. Today, money leaves most black communities in about 15 seconds. The result of this practice created many millionaires by today’s standards. Black doctors, lawyers, business owners, and artists all resided in Black Wall Street.
Black Wall Street was the Beverly Hills of Tulsa; it was in stark contrast to the poorer, less-developed surrounding white communities, many of which did not have things like indoor plumbing. Resentment and envy grew year by year from the whites who lived on the other side of Tulsa. This resentment would soon turn into one of the darkest chapters of American History.
It all started with an accusation involving the rape of a white woman by a black man. What followed that slanderous lie was one of the bloodiest American horror stories in the nation’s history. An American horror story that was buried and labeled a “race riot.” While a few World War I vets who lived in the community did try to defend their community, the Black Wall Street massacre was no more a race riot than was Rosewood or any number of other black towns destroyed by evil men wearing white sheets.
It is unclear exactly how many people died as this community was burned to the ground. Some estimates say as few as 300 people died. At the same time, the estimates say that over 3,000 people died.
Conservatives often wonder why blacks in America call themselves African Americans or why they have such a cynical view of “The American Dream.” All the things they say blacks should do for themselves were once done! Had that community been allowed to thrive, who knows what impact it would have had on blacks nationwide? The systematic destruction of the black community has never been more detailed and illustrated than in the American horror story that we call the black wall street massacre of 1921.
Here is a Young Turks video talking about the Black Wall Street Massacre.
Here is a more complete mini-documentary.
