Two major race riots occurred in the United States in the 1920s, the first in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the second in Rosewood, Florida. Though separated by thousands of miles and two years, the start of the riots and the end results were remarkably similar, leaving thousands of families homeless and hundreds grieving the death of loved ones.
Tulsa Riot
On May 31, 1921, in Tulsa, a riot began that lasted 16 hours and involved about 2,000 participants. The riot started after Dick Rowland, a 19-year-old black shoeshine boy, was taken into custody and accused of attacking Sarah Page, a 17-year-old white elevator operator in the Drexler building where Rowland worked. A clerk at Renberg's, a clothing store inside the building, claimed to have heard her scream and observed Rowland running from the building.
Devastation
Though no charges were filed, the Tulsa Tribune printed two stories, the first titled "Nab Negro For Attacking Girl in Elevator," and the second, an editorial, titled "To Lynch Negro Tonight." Spurred on by the newspaper, more than 2,000 whites gathered outside the courthouse, demanding Rowland be turned over to them. The ensuing riot would leave more than 100 dead, 1,200 homes on 35 city blocks destroyed and 10,000 homeless.
Rosewood Massacre
In the first week of January 1923, in Rosewood, six blacks and two whites were killed in a riot spurred by a rumor that a white woman in the nearby city of Sumner had been beaten and raped by a black drifter. Though the accused was never found and, indeed, no evidence exists that a rape even occurred, a mob made up of white men from surrounding towns lynched a black man from Rosewood.
Arson
When black citizens tried to stop the lynching and to prepare themselves for future attacks, the white mob reformed and began searching the town and surrounding areas for blacks. Nearly every building in Rosewood was burned to the ground, with the blacks resorting to hiding in the swamps until the danger passed. Though state officials reportedly knew of the attacks, no charges were ever filed and the town was abandoned.
Aftermath
In both of these incidents, the events were ignored by government agencies and politicians. In 1993, the Florida Legislature investigated the events, and eventually offered financial compensation to the survivors and their families. In 1997, director John Singleton directed a film based on the massacre titled "Rosewood." The Tulsa, riot remained largely unexamined until 1997, when the Tulsa Race Riot commission was created to investigate the events of 1921. The report, finished in 2001, led to restitution for the survivors and their families, as well as a memorial for the victims.
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