Tulsa

 

Deep Greenwood event series goes beyond the page to bring the people and places in Greenwood’s past to life.

 

Local author and National Magazine Award nominee Victor Luckerson is partnering with OSU-Tulsa and other Tulsa colleges, bookstores and community organizations to launch a series of events aimed at expanding the understanding of Greenwood far beyond the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The series, titled Deep Greenwood: A Tulsa Community Read, will expand on the themes and issues highlighted in Built From the Fire, Luckerson’s acclaimed new history book about the Greenwood District.

 

“The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred over two days, but the story of Greenwood stretches across more than a century. It’s a story that has its horrors, but it also has a lot of hope,” Luckerson said. “It’s important to honor and acknowledge that full history.”

 

Across a series of five events over the next year, Deep Greenwood will examine the 118-year history of Greenwood step by step, with each event capturing a different era. The series will begin by exploring the racist politics in Tulsa that preceded the massacre, and end with an opportunity to imagine new possibilities for Greenwood’s future. In between attendees will learn more about Greenwood’s vibrant culture and nightlife, the impacts of urban renewal, and the legacy of activism in the neighborhood. The events will incorporate musical performances, photo exhibits, and more to go beyond the boundaries of a traditional book talk. 

 

 

The kick-off event of the series will be held at All Souls Unitarian Church on Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. Luckerson will be in conversation with Bryan Hembree, a Tulsa native and the director of arts and culture at the University of Arkansas’ Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education. The two will draw parallels between Tulsa’s racial climate before the massacre and the racial violence in Elaine, Arkansas, where hundreds of black residents were killed by a white mob during the “Red Summer” of 1919. The event will also touch on the echoes of that tumultuous era in today’s political climate. Tulsa poet Written Quincy will recite some of his works as part of the programming, and a reception will follow, sponsored by the All Souls D.I.V.E. (Diversity, Inclusion, Vulnerability, and Engagement) Team.

 

"Amidst the present efforts to downplay and stifle the truths of our shared history, both on a local and national scale, it is heartening to witness courageous individuals, like Victor Luckerson, raising their voices to recount narratives that have been and continue to be suppressed,” All Souls minister Randy Lewis said. 

 

Each Deep Greenwood event will be anchored by a set of chapters from Luckerson’s book Built From the Fire, which has received praise nationwide since its publication by Random House in May 2023. The New York Times called the book “absorbing,” while the Washington Post praised it as an exceptional and thoroughly researched account of a “multifaceted community that refuses to be silenced.” Attendees will be encouraged to read select chapters from the book ahead of each event and bring questions for the author to the talks. Copies can be purchased at Fulton Street Books or Magic City Books, or checked out from the Tulsa City-County Library. The book will also be on sale at each event. 

 

Victor Luckerson, a journalist who has written for The New Yorker, the New York Times and Smithsonian magazine, moved to Tulsa in 2019 to tell the story of Greenwood from the perspective of race massacre survivors and descendants. His text brings to life more than 100 North Tulsa residents, past and present, and draws on thousands of primary-source documents from his archival research. In addition to spearheading the Deep Greenwood community read, Luckerson will serve as Writer in Residence at the University of Tulsa during the 2023-2024 academic year. There he will work with students in the history department and law school, while conducting new research into the early years of racial integration at the University of Tulsa. 

 

The Deep Greenwood series is being sponsored by the University of Tulsa’s Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, the OSU-Tulsa Library, and the Tulsa City-County Library. Additional sponsors include All Souls Unitarian Church, the Historic Big 10 Ballroom, Fulton Street Books, Magic City Books, the Black Wall Street Times, the Oklahoma Eagle and the North Tulsa Unity Book Club. Series sponsors offered a variety of insights on the cross-city collaboration.

 

"As a Tulsa transplant, the more I learn about the community of Greenwood, the more I am astounded by the rich history and legacy of it and the people who called it home,” said Larissa McNeil, the African-American Resource Center coordinator for Tulsa City-County Library.  “Greenwood was more than the massacre that decimated it and I'm excited for the community and even for myself to learn more about both the history and the future of Greenwood in a way that feels intentional and optimistic."

 

“A large part of the OSU-Tulsa Library’s mission is to develop and foster engagement through impactful, community-wide reads. The 5-part Deep Greenwood series dives deep into the Greenwood history, allowing for participants to be able to explore the tragic events of the race massacre, the district’s rich culture, changes and challenges in development, the resilience of Greenwood residents, and the collective hopes for the future of the community. We invite the entire Tulsa community to come along with us on each part of the journey.”

 

“All Souls is honored to be a part of this public conversation about the past and future of Greenwood,” said Marlin Lavanhar, senior minister at All Souls. “We hope that people in every district of Tulsa and of every background will see this dialogue as an opportunity to forge a positive future together.”

 

For a full list of Deep Greenwood events, visit the Deep Greenwood series website at humanities.utulsa.edu/deep-greenwood/.