Greenwood is a neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As one of the most successful and wealthiest African American communities in the United States during the early 20th Century, it was popularly known as America’s “Black Wall Street” until the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. The riot was one of the most devastating race riots in history and it destroyed the once thriving Greenwood community.

Many African Americans moved to Oklahoma in the years before and after 1907, which is the year when Oklahoma became a state. Oklahoma represented change and provided a chance for African Americans to get away from slavery and the harsh racism of their previous homes. Most of them traveled from the states in the south where racism was very prevalent, and Oklahoma offered hope and provided all people with a chance to start over. They traveled to Oklahoma by wagons, horses, trains, and even on foot. Many of the African Americans who traveled to Oklahoma had ancestors who could be traced back to Oklahoma. A lot of the settlers were relatives of African American slaves who traveled on foot with the Five Civilized Tribes along the Trail of Tears. Others were the descendants of runaway slaves who had fled to Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) in an effort to escape lives of oppression.

When Tulsa became a booming and rather well noted town in the United States, the residents and government attempted to leave out important aspects of the city. Many people considered Tulsa to be two separate cities rather than one city of united communities. The white residents of Tulsa referred to the area north of the Frisco railroad tracks as “Little Africa” and other derogatory names. They were threatened by the success of the African American community and worried that the community might continue to grow. This community later acquired the name Greenwood and in 1921 it was home to about 10,000 African American men, women, and children.

Greenwood was centered on a street known as Greenwood Avenue. This street was important because it ran north for over a mile from the Frisco Railroad yards, and it was one of the few streets that did not cross through both black and white neighborhoods. The citizens of Greenwood took pride in this fact because it was something they had all to themselves and did not have to share with the white community of Tulsa. Greenwood Avenue was home to the African American commercial district with many red brick buildings. These buildings belonged to African Americans and they were thriving businesses, including grocery stores, clothing stores, barber shops, and much more. Greenwood was one of the most affluent communities and became known as “Black Wall Street.”

During the oil boom of the 1910s, the area of northeast Oklahoma around Tulsa flourished—including the Greenwood neighborhood, which came to be known as “the Negro Wall Street” (now commonly referred to as “the Black Wall Street”) The area was home to several prominent black businessmen, many of them multimillionaires. Greenwood boasted a variety of thriving businesses that were very successful up until the Tulsa Race Riot. Not only did African Americans want to contribute to the success of their own shops, but also the racial segregation laws prevented them from shopping anywhere else other than Greenwood. Following the riots, the area was rebuilt and thrived until the 1960’s when desegregation allowed blacks to shop in areas that were restricted before. The buildings on Greenwood Avenue housed the offices of almost all of Tulsa’s black lawyers, realtors, doctors, and other professionals. One of the most thriving businesses on Greenwood was a meat market and grocery store owned by my family. We provided the fresh cuts of meat to blacks in Tulsa. In Tulsa at the time of the riot, there were fifteen well-known African American physicians, one of whom was considered the “most able Negro surgeon in America” by one of the Mayo brothers. Greenwood published two newspapers, the Tulsa Star and the Oklahoma Sun, which covered not only Tulsa, but also state and national news and elections. Greenwood housed more churches than all of Tulsa’s white community and Greenwood was a very religiously active community. At the time of the riot there were more than a dozen African American churches and many Christian youth organizations and religious societies.

MT. ZION was founded in 1909 under the leadership of Rev. Sandy Lyons. The first place of worship was a one-room frame schoolhouse. In the first five years, Reverends R. L. Leonard, C. L. Netherland and Frank White followed Rev. Lyons. In June 1916, work was begun on the foundation for a permanent church and in April 1921, the congregation moved into a beautiful edifice costing $92,000. The joy of Pastor Whitaker and the members was short lived, for on June 21, 1921, Mt. Zion was destroyed during the Tulsa Riot. History says that only one brick remained after the fire. The insurance plan did not cover damage due to riot and the membership would not default on what they considered a “just debt” of $50,000. During this time Rev. Whitaker became ill and resigned. Following Rev. Whitaker there were several pastors who served short terms.

In 1937 Rev. J. H. Dotson came to Mt. Zion, led the church in making the basement suitable for worship and led the congregation in paying off the 21-year old debt. After burning the mortgage, a building fund was established and in 1952 the present building was dedicated.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church (Present Day)

To be continued….