One of the most horrifying episodes in American history spanned just two days in 1921, when at least 300 people were killed on May 31 and June 1. The attack by a white mob on African Americans in Greenwood became known as the Tulsa Race Massacre.
While documentaries have told the story of what transpired, a new book by the journalist and author Victor Luckerson focuses on the descendants of survivors.
"Too often, the Tulsa Race Massacre is reduced to statistics: 1,256 homes destroyed, 35 square blocks burned," Luckerson told NPR. "But this is really a story about people."
In "Built from the Fire," Luckerson tells the story of Greenwood largely through the eyes of the Goodwin family.
Regina Goodwin currently represents the Greenwood district in Oklahoma's statehouse. Her ties to Tulsa go back generations, and her family was shaken by fear when the mob attacked what was often called the "Black Wall Street" more than 100 years ago.
Goodwin has continued the fight, seeking reparations for descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre by introducing legislation. Earlier this year, she filed a bill that would appropriate $300 million for "damages to persons and property."
Read more here.
