Tulsa Community Can Give To Rebuild Black Wall Street

The Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce leaders said they are setting up a charitable mechanism to give the community the opportunity to be a part of the rebuilding of Black Wall Street and the north Tulsa community.

The mechanism lets people commit to a recurring donation that can be used for economic development.

Chamber Board Chair Melvin Gilliam said studies show African Americans lag behind whites in home ownership and that businesses owned by African Americans are the least supported.

Gilliam said his grandfather owned two businesses on Black Wall Street, so he grew up appreciating the importance of entrepreneurship.

"Tulsa's as strong as its weakest link, so it's absolutely necessary we strengthen north Tulsa," he said.

Tulsa City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper, also a chamber board member, said it is essential for African Americans to buy back the land that was once owned by the Black community.

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"Land ownership is power; without it we have nothing," she said. "Let's build."

She said they no longer want to go with hands out to philanthropists but to set up a recurring donation system where people can give as much or as little as they are comfortable with.

Hall-Harper said giving directly to the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce allows that agency to decide how to spend the money rather than have it be in the hands of someone else.

She used as an example that the community does not need any more discount stores like Dollar General and Family Dollar.

You can get more information at the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce website.