Photograph of Ellis Walker Woods courtesy of the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum. Ellis Walker Woods was born on June 29, 1885, in Winston County, eastern Mississippi, the son of a freed slave. The names of his parents are unavailable in public records, but the 1930 census indicates that they … Read More

Photograph of Otis Clark courtesy of 405 Magazine. In a sense, the life of Otis Clark is reminiscent of the parable of the prodigal son. Squandering his education, he found success as a bootlegger before the age of 18. After the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, he made his way to Hollywood … Read More

Photo of S.M. & Eunice Jackson (right) courtesy of the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Princetta R. Newman Often mentioned alongside John and Loula Williams and E. L. and Jeanne Goodwin as one of the greatest power couples of Greenwood, S. … Read More

Photo of Dr. Olivia J. Hooker courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard. In September 2018, the nonprofit organization StoryCorps recorded Dr. Olivia Hooker’s recollections about being the first Black woman admitted to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1945. She spoke about her worries as well as her sense of great … Read More

by Carlos Moreno and David GoodwinPhoto of E.L. Goodwin courtesy of the Oklahoma Eagle. Eleven-year-old Edwin Lawrence Goodwin arrived in Greenwood in 1914 with his sisters Anna and Lucille, brother James Jr., and parents James Henri and Carlie Greer Goodwin. The family had come from Water Valley, Mississippi, where James … Read More