The Immediate Aftermath
The official death toll was listed at 37. This is considered under-represented. The Red Cross, which had to be called in because Greenwood's hospital had been destroyed, estimated that over 1,265 homes had been destroyed, while another 215 were looted. In all, around $2 million dollars in damage was rent upon the Greenwood District. This is roughly $26 million dollars in America's present-day economy.
Tate Brady, of the wealthy Tulsa-famous Brady family, played an explicit role in keeping the tattered black community down. Aside from actively participating in the riot, Brady used his real estate power to use the devastation for his own gain. One week after the riots, Brady was appointed the head of the Tulsa Real Estate Exchange Commission. This commission was to create the estimate of the damage occurred in Greenwood, so that money could be dispersed to the affected families. Instead, Brady used this position to relocate blacks further north so that he could build prosperous railroads on the land. In the end, any further proclamations from Brady were rendered useless by a Supreme Court ruling. Instead, blacks were allowed to rebuild their own homes using their own money.
In 1923, Brady allowed the construction of a Ku Klux Klan "Klavern" on property that he owned. Likewise, Klan members swept nearly every elected office in that same year. He would soon admit to his membership in the group. However, Brady had allowed the Klan to accumulate too much power. He soon found that his decisions were being overruled. By 1925, Brady's earnings had dwindled compared to the height of his monetary accumulation. On August 29, 1925, Brady committed suicide.
Tate Brady, of the wealthy Tulsa-famous Brady family, played an explicit role in keeping the tattered black community down. Aside from actively participating in the riot, Brady used his real estate power to use the devastation for his own gain. One week after the riots, Brady was appointed the head of the Tulsa Real Estate Exchange Commission. This commission was to create the estimate of the damage occurred in Greenwood, so that money could be dispersed to the affected families. Instead, Brady used this position to relocate blacks further north so that he could build prosperous railroads on the land. In the end, any further proclamations from Brady were rendered useless by a Supreme Court ruling. Instead, blacks were allowed to rebuild their own homes using their own money.
In 1923, Brady allowed the construction of a Ku Klux Klan "Klavern" on property that he owned. Likewise, Klan members swept nearly every elected office in that same year. He would soon admit to his membership in the group. However, Brady had allowed the Klan to accumulate too much power. He soon found that his decisions were being overruled. By 1925, Brady's earnings had dwindled compared to the height of his monetary accumulation. On August 29, 1925, Brady committed suicide.
The Real Tragedy
The Greenwood District of the early 20th century represented more than just a community. It was a beacon of hope. This was still very much a time when systematic racial segregation was the rule and not the exception. Blacks were often funneled into run down communities, or districts, where they would be slighted heavily in governmental, recreational, and educational funds. The Greenwood District was the outlier. Dubbed "Black Wall Street" by Booker T. Washington, it thrived through the ingenuity and hard work of its black community. As pictured above, it was an extremely diverse society. The Greenwood experience is indicative of the black experience in an America built on the institution of racism.