Tulsa Race Riots- Extra Credit

"Before They Die" is a short documentary on the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots brief history and it's  survivors that are presently alive. The Tulsa Race Riots in brief occurred on May 31, 1921 as the backlash of an accidental tripping of a 19 year-old black shoe shiner onto a 17 year-old white elevator operator which the white population took as an assault of a young black man on a young white woman, which caused an uproar in the white community and rioting for the next 18 hours. This was in the Greenwood black community in Tulsa where the riots took place. Greenwood was thriving with black professionals of every decree operating in their own successful businesses outside of the white community, which was said to make the white community jealous. Greenwood, Oklahoma was known as the "Black Wall Street" and suffered one of the worst acts of domestic terrorism of all time. During the riots over 30 square blocks were burned, 20,000 million dollars in property damage, and over 300 black people killed with no civil rights. 

This documentary was the story of the riot survivors seeking justice for the wrongful crimes committed against them before they die because over 80% of the survivors are already deceased. Since 2004 lawyers have been interviewing survivors and putting together a case for them to get the justice they deserve. However, even today they are being denied time in the court to plea their case. The government has no reason for denying the case, but simply their cowardice to hear what the survivors have to say. For this reason this documentary was made so that people will know their story and help them in the fight for justice. 

I think this is so pathetic on the part of our judicial system today that they will not hear these people out and allow them their rights as U.S. citizens. The Tulsa Race Riots were almost lost in time due to the neglect of the media to give it any coverage or for the government to acknowledge this injustice. I absolutely understand the case and point of the few remaining survivors and their desire to be compensated and at the very least recognized.