06/01/2026
By June 1, 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre had left behind the devastation of a deliberate assault on Black life, Black excellence, and Black progress.
Too often in this nation, Black advancement has been met with backlash, violence, erasure, and policy designed to pull back what had been gained. We saw it after Reconstruction, when Black civic participation was answered with terror, disenfranchisement, and the rise of Jim Crow. We saw it in places like Colfax, Wilmington, Elaine, and Tulsa. And 105 years later, we still see echoes of that pattern when voting rights are weakened, DEI is dismantled, truth is resisted, and efforts to widen opportunity are attacked.
Remembering June 1, 1921 also means telling the truth about what comes after progress in America. It means staying vigilant, organized, and unwilling to let backlash have the final word.
