It is an honor to be with you all here today in Greenwood. This community has been strong and resilient despite the lingering effects of a civil rights crime that stands out in its magnitude, barbarity and ruthless brutality. As you know, on May 31, 1921, a group of white Tulsans, far too organized to be called a mob, invaded Greenwood and engaged in theft, arson, assault and murder. They killed hundreds of Black people in Greenwood and wounded hundreds more. They put houses to the torch and unleashed chaos and violence that separated families. It took days, sometimes weeks, before people knew whether their loved ones survived. After the pillaging was done, authorities confined the now-homeless Black residents to internment camps, allowing them to leave only if a white person vouched for them.
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