National Geographic Live event coming to Denver explores racial attack from 100 years ago

The 1921 attack on Black Wall Street in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma was one of the nation's worst episodes of racial violence. The nation was reminded of this atrocity on the 100th anniversary in 2021, but the effects of the massacre have played out over generations in Tulsa. University of Tulsa archaeologist, Alicia Odewale, co-founded a project to uncover details about this more recent historic event.

"A lot of the work actually isn't happening outside. The field includes archives. It includes being with our community," Odewale explained.

In addition to digging up artifacts like a traditional archaeological expedition, Odewale and her crew have interviewed survivors of the massacre and their families. She's pieced together not only what happened during the attack, but also how it's rippled through the community over decades.

"I think there's been this shift where, yes, we want to acknowledge and own our story around the Tulsa Race Massacre, but to also add to the narrative, one of life, and growth, and resilience, and power to instill pride in our community," Odewale told CBS News Colorado.

Now, Odewale is bringing her research to life for National Geographic Live.

"It creates this experience where you get to hear from survivors, see their faces, connect to their stories in ways that you can't by just reading about them, so I love that the show is able to immerse people into the story," Odewale said.

LINK: For Tickets to "Greenwood: A Century of Resilience" at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.

"Greenwood: A Century of Resilience" is at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, March 20th at 7:30 p.m.