Jimmie Lewis Franklin wrote in Journey Toward Hope, “No discussion of Black political life in Oklahoma could ignore the tenure of Representative Ben [H.] Hill of Tulsa. …His careful reasoning often left both Black militants and white racists uncomfortable. He advised whites to stop talking to themselves and to confront … Read More

“I remember so well when George Monroe, a playmate of mine, who was in the [Massacre] and who hid under the bed, he was five years old. And a white hoodlum stepped on his fingers and he didn’t even cry, he didn’t shout out. He just took it. When I … Read More

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 M.J. Alexander 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