TULSA 1921 TIL NOW:
NO MORE! THIS MUST END!

June 17, 2020 | revcom.us

Donald Trump—a blatant white supremacist and fascist—is re-starting his campaign for president on June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

What is the significance of this? There is an ugly history behind this.

1921, Tulsa: One of the most horrific crimes against Black people

In the early years of the 20th century, a Black community of a little over 10,000 people took root in Tulsa. Black people were segregated into the Greenwood district. In time, Greenwood’s segregated economy, self-contained and self-sufficient, was so successful that it became known nationally as the “Black Wall Street.” Black-owned grocery stores, banks, libraries, hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, and more lined Greenwood Avenue. This was resented—and seen as a nightmare—by many whites.

In May 1921, a young Black man named Dick Rowland got on a downtown elevator. The white woman operating the elevator screamed, and Rowland was arrested and charged with assault. The Tulsa Tribune newspaper began agitating for a lynching, and by nightfall hundreds of whites had gathered outside the jail. When a group of 75 armed Black men came to help guard the prisoner, a struggle ensued and in the gunfire that followed nearly a dozen people on both sides died.

The mob of whites, deputized by law enforcement, armed by white merchants and including over 150 Tulsa police, then went on a violent rampage against the Black community of 11,000 people. The Black people heroically fought back but were badly outnumbered by police, the mob, and the National Guard.

By noon on June 1, these white mobs had murdered more than 300 Black Tulsa residents. They had turned 40 square blocks of Greenwood into a scorched wasteland. They destroyed 1,256 homes, along with virtually every other structure—including churches, schools, businesses, even a hospital and library.

Not one of these criminal acts was then or ever has been prosecuted or punished by government at any level, municipal, county, state, or federal.

So, what message do you think Trump is sending with this choice? In 1921, Black people had built up a community and righteously stood up against lynching—and they were met with horribly violent suppression and a reinforcement of white supremacy.

2020, New Battle Lines, the Struggle to End this Horrific Oppression

In 2020, new battle lines are drawn. Black people, joined by many people of all different nationalities and races, have stood up against the violent terror of the police and institutionalized racism. People are asking why this oppression is so deeply ground into the society and what to do about this. In the face of this upsurge and this questioning, Trump has carried out and backed violent suppression and threatened even more.

Trump’s message in kicking off his campaign in Tulsa, just like his message in defending Confederate generals, is clear: the defense of white supremacy. He is mobilizing his fascist base for conflicts ahead.

NO!

Right now, all those who have stood up, those who have had their eyes opened, must send a message back: “NO MORE! This uprising will NOT be suppressed—it WILL go forward.”

This oppression has been deeply knit into America’s capitalist-imperialist system—from the first slave in Virginia in 1619 to Tulsa 1921 right down to today. This system can NOT be reformed and must be overthrown, by an actual revolution. And, for the first time, the way to do this has been developed! There is a strategic plan for how to make this revolution. There is a sweeping vision and concrete blueprint for a radically different and much better world, in the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, by Bob Avakian. There is the leadership for this revolution in Bob Avakian.

And there is a way for YOU to learn more about this revolution and become part of making it a reality by going to www.revcom.us and joining with the revcoms.

AN END TO INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM AND MURDER BY POLICE—NOTHING LESS!

AN END TO ANY WAY PEOPLE ANYWHERE ARE USED, ABUSED, AND BRUTALIZED—NOTHING LESS!

REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS!

Trump/Pence #OutNow, In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America!

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Black veterans led fierce self-defense but were badly outgunned by the mob, which included 150 cops and National Guard troops.

In May-June 1921, white mobs in Tulsa, Oklahoma went on a rampage against the Black community of Greenwood. Over 300 Black people were massacred, and Greenwood was destroyed. None of those responsible has ever been tried and punished for these crimes.