The Active Historian

Hey, friend! Welcome back to another post. Today, I want to show you around Greenwood Rising: Black Wall St History Center. This museum covers topic that may be triggering for some to read. Please take the space you need to process this history.

Museum History

Greenwood Rising opened to the public in August 2021. The museum took over six years of planning to come to fruition. This museum teaches the truth of what happened during the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 and the history of Greenwood.

*I want to give another content warning here. This post and the photos discuss topics that may be triggering for some. Please take the space you need to process this history.

Photos from Inside the Museum

I have included a handful of photos from inside the museum. I didn’t include some photos because I think you should see them in person or view the virtual tour on the Greenwood Rising website. The Greenwood Rising website also has a page where they walk you through the entire museum room by room explaining the significance of the exhibition.

This museum does a great job of setting up context for the visitor. You learn about the beginning of Greenwood and the people who made it successful.

The barbershop was very cool in my opinion. The barbers are holograms that have conversation. They talk about the people who lived in Greenwood. The small box off to the side allows visitors to read along with the script which allowed for greater accessibility of the content.

The next portion of the museum is the ‘Arc of Oppression.’ This section of the museum provides historical context of events leading up to the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921.

The next room is sobering. It brings the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to life. There are burning buildings projected on the screen and you hear the accounts of what happened from survivors. I think you need to see this portion of the museum in person or view the virtual tour so I didn’t include photos on purpose.

Around the next corner you learn about the immediate response to the massacre.

Next, you head through a set of doors to learn about the ‘Changing Fortunes’ of the Greenwood District. You learn how the community carried on after the massacre.

After finishing in the previous room, there is a space with seating for discussion. I thought the ‘Dialogue Space’ was an important part of the museum. This space encourages conversation amongst groups who come to see the museum.

Concluding Thoughts

Visiting Greenwood Rising has been on my list since they opened a couple of years ago. The history of Greenwood is something I wish had been taught more when I was growing up – I didn’t learn about these events until I was in college.

I hope you’ll make a visit to Greenwood Rising to learn about this history and create space for dialogue in your own life and community. If you don’t live near Tulsa, there is a virtual tour option available on the Greenwood Rising website that I would highly encourage you to check out.

I’ll see you in the next post.

Visit

23 North Greenwood Avenue

Tulsa, OK 74120

Sources

Greenwood Rising – website

Elizabeth Caldwell. “Greenwood Rising Finally Opens Its Doors To The Public.” August 4, 2021. Tulsa Public Radio.