100 Years Later: Remembering One Of The Worst Massacres In U.S. History
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- This Memorial Day marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, in which a white mob killed an estimated 300 black residents, destroyed the thriving Greenwood Business District, and left thousands of African American men, women and children displaced.
Maryland State Senator Cory McCray commemorated the destruction of Black Wall Street, which had a profound emotional and economic impact felt for generations. "That history is so important and if we do not know our history, how do we know where we're going?"
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, several services were held over the weekend to mark the painful anniversary with some of the last known survivors in attendance.
"Our history is our bedrock," said Terence Dickson, owner of Terra Cafe and host of Baltimore's remembrance ceremony.
Dickson said teaching young people about the past is critical in building a better future and ensuring history does not repeat itself.
"What has happened before, it gives us an opportunity that it never has to happen again," Dickson said.
President Joe Biden will visit Tulsa, Oklahoma on Tuesday where he is expected to tour the Greenwood Cultural Center and meet with surviving members of the community.