Black Wall Street Classic Makes Push For Greenwood District Growth

It’s a special weekend for those hoping to breathe new life into the Greenwood District.

Celebrations for the first Black Wall Street Classic are intended to help bring Black Wall Street back to life.

Organizers said this weekend's events aren't about the past, but the future.

Black and white pictures tell a story of destruction.

Even the sidewalks down Greenwood Avenue mark where dozens of black owned business were destroyed during the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921.

“The soul of black people who were killed, people walk along those sidewalks today and they view us like we are strangers there," Bobby Eaton said.

Eaton wasn't there when the riots happened, but he was there as community leaders worked to rebuild it.

"When they came up out of the ashes like the Phoenix bird, these stories are very hard for me to tell,” he said.

The Institute for Developing Communities organized the first Black Wall Street Classic weekend.

It included a football game, career fair and alumni gala.  

Executive director Thomas Boxley said we shouldn’t dwell on the negative history.

"A lot of people talk about the tragic events but the story the real story line is the rebuilding and how the community pulled itself up by the bootstraps and rebuilt,” Boxley said.

He believes those improvements start by bringing people back to the community, and showing them what it has to offer.

A Langston University campus, the only historically black college in the state, sits right in the middle of it, and it's helping improve the Greenwood District.

When the Greenwood area was founded, education was key.

With Langston offering programs in agriculture, urban forestry and medical school, representatives say it’s that education foundation that will make Greenwood great again.

"As a university, we want to continue to be a part of the Tulsa community to help it thrive and grow and prosper,” Langston University President Kent Smith said.

Black Wall Street Classic weekend organizers say there is still a long way to go, but they hope to one day build up an area that will see economic sustainability and longevity.