Ep. 12: "Tulsa's Terrible Secret" and the Erasure of Black History
Photo Courtesy: Tulsa Historical Society and Museum
Up until the later part of the 20th century, there were sustained and concerted efforts to suppress the full truth of the Tulsa Race Riot, which is now acknowledged as the Tulsa Race Massacre. In the decades that followed, the attack was treated as taboo by both whites and blacks, by residents of Tulsa and government officials, by survivors of the massacre and their descendants. If it was addressed, often times the facts and circumstances surrounding the massacre were misconstrued and in many cases fabricated. Some descendants of survivors have said it was a matter of protecting future generations from enduring a similar tragedy. Others have said it was considered a black mark of shame for Tulsa and few perpetrators wanted to actually accept responsibility for such an event. Dr. Scott Ellsworth - professor of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan and author of Death in a Promised Land, said quote, “The people who brought it up were threatened with their jobs; they were threatened with their lives.” The suppression of the Tulsa Race Massacre is emblematic of the frequency with which the erasure of black life and anything associated with it took place in the early part of the 20th century.”
Guests in this episode include, Texas journalist, writer and author of The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, Tim Madigan. Shomari Wills, journalist and author of Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires. Listeners will also hear an audio recording of one of Tulsa's most legendary musicians, Clarence Love.
In This Episode:
Journalist and Author Tim Madigan.
Journalist and Author Shomari Wills
“This massacre still largely went unknown among most Americans. Maybe, I would say, you know, when the book came out, it was widely viewed in all the right places. My sense is that white people just didn't want to read it. It's too painful and too ugly. When I finished the book, I knew at the deepest level of my being that we had a huge problem in this nation when it came to race. Basically unhealed wounds and unexplored issues. ~Tim Madigan
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Musical Attribution:
1. Glueworm Evening Blues (ID 994) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copyrite information. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Linked to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Glueworm_Blues_ID_994
2. Title: Driving to the Delta (ID 923) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copywite information: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Driving_to_the_Delta_ID_923_1563Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Driving_to_the_Delta_ID_923_1563
3. Spirit Inside (ID 819) by Lobo Loco License, disclaimer and copyright information: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/0) Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Tree_of_Meditation/Spirit_Inside_ID_819
4. African Moon by John Bartmann Link to license, disclaimer and copyright information: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/Link to Music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/african-moon
Dr. Ellsworth's line about people being threatened with their jobs and lives really stayed with me. It makes me think about how even a simple AI prompt generator can help people draft better questions when they start digging into buried local histories.
Ep. 12, “Tulsa’s Terrible Secret” and the Erasure of Black History, highlights why preserving historical truth matters. The discussion of Tulsa’s history shows how painful events can be overlooked, minimized, or removed from public memory, leaving future generations with an incomplete understanding of the past. Honest storytelling can help communities recognize what happened, learn from it, and ensure important voices are not forgotten. It also reminds us that history should include the experiences of all communities, especially those whose stories were suppressed. In today’s digital world, even creative industries can value authenticity, much like the best embroidery digitizers preserve details through precise, meaningful design.
Understanding local community history and seeing how regional stories evolve over time is always powerful. Historical shifts usually end up shaping local culture and fashion in subtle ways. You can see a similar evolution in apparel, like how classic athletic wear such as the Michael Myers Varsity Jacket shifted from traditional college style into modern streetwear.
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