It seems like every time the Black community gathers our collective power to better our lives, white supremacy strikes it down. They did the same with Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the 1920s.
But like a phoenix from the ashes, we rise!
It's been 101 years since the Tulsa Massacre destroyed Black Wall Street - the wealthiest Black community in America. It may have taken a century to rebuild, but the Greenwood region of Tulsa is reclaiming its space and heritage as a new Black Wall Street.
Entrepreneurship in the Black community is on the rise, especially in Tulsa. Businesses are popping up left and right. The community in Greenwood is determined to renew and rebuild the entrepreneurial spirit that lived in that 40-block radius a century ago.
While the area has faced severe financial hardships since the Tulsa Massacre, our Black spirit's embers are alight again. It's no longer just Black Wall Street; it's also Black Tech Street, a place to foster vibrant Black tech in Tulsa.
As a community, we may never again be able to recreate what Black Wall Street once was. Still, we are coming together not only in Tulsa but in other cities across the nation to build centers of growth and wealth for our people. The fire of our spirit won't be extinguished.