a warning from history.
In May 2020, George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a serving police officer. The killing shocked the world and galvanised the Black Lives Matter movement.
Change is coming but it is long overdue.
In May 1921, the worst incident of racial violence in America took place in Tulsa. The Greenwood district of the city was known as the Black Wall Street, its destruction likened to Kristallnacht. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, died. Only now, nearing the 100th anniversary, is its story being told.
Scott Ellsworth is a historian leading efforts next month to exhume unmarked graves of victims. He explains why we need to remember.
The Big Issue: What was the Greenwood district of Tulsa like before the events of late May 1921?
Greenwood was an incredibly vibrant community, and home to 10,000 African American men, women and children. It was home to two newspapers, two schools, a hospital, a public library and a dozen churches. Thirty restaurants served everything from sandwiches and bowls of chilli to barbecue and steaks and chops with all of the trimmings. Two theatres – the
