Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for Equality of Opportunity In Action: Historical Perspective on Black Wall Street and its Relevance to Business Today. We will be joined in conversation by award-winning actor, humanitarian and executive producer of Heroes of Black Wall Street, Danny Glover, and other business leaders discussing the legacy of the Black-owned businesses of Tulsa's Greenwood District and pathways to success for today’s Black-owned enterprises.
Early in the twentieth century, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma was the epicenter for African American entrepreneurs. The thriving, dynamic business district, comprised of a 35 square-block area, became known as Black Wall Street. Resentment over black economic success and a racially hostile climate eventually led to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The Greenwood District was burned and the people as well as their businesses, property and dreams vanished.
Against great odds, the Greenwood District’s pioneering entrepreneurs rebuilt the community from the ashes. By 1942, more than 200 black-owned businesses called the Greenwood District home. In subsequent decades, integration, urban renewal, and economic changes sparked a prodigious decline in the Greenwood District. Buoyed by its powerful past, the Greenwood District still lives in its new incarnation of a business, educational, recreational, cultural, and entertainment hub.