Black Wall Street (BWS) is a hidden gem of Black History and a defining one for American History. Emerging in the 1900s, the city of Greenwood, Oklahoma just 5 minutes from Tulsa, became known as Black Wall Street for its ambitious black entrepreneurs dedicated to being successful by any means necessary.

With 10,000 residents, this city epitomized Black Excellence in an era that was segregated and saturated with racism. Black Wall Street hosted cafes, schools, clothing stores, movie theatres, an airline, and a multitude of other business endeavors. With great successes within the black community, BWS brought much envy to the surrounding cities.

An oil well in the city assisted in the creation and ultimately played a role in the demise of Black Wall Street; this endeavor brought great economic prosperity to the city, but fueled even more hate from the neighboring towns. In a response, white people in the suburban cities around began to make harsh accusatory remarks about the people of Greenwood. Due to the greed and hate, 2,000 members of the KKK invaded the city with the intentions of achieving “justice”. As stated by “One United Bank”, in less than 24 hours, “police had arrested 60% of Black residents living in Black Wall Street. Mobs burned Black owned businesses and homes, and murdered hundreds of Black citizens”. This tragic event resulted in more than 30 million dollars of damage in today’s money.

Today, through gentrification, the price of rent is increasing in our urban communities; those from other communities are buying property, renovating it and increasing the rent. This process forces those unable to afford the increase to seek refuge in suburban communities that are less than welcoming.

Black Wall Street may be gone, but never forgotten. We must elevate those “Hidden Figures” as Black Legends in our history. Today, we can reclaim and rebuild Black Wall Street. Our ancestors showed the nation how powerful the Black Community can be when we stand together. This page is dedicated to featuring black owned businesses that share the ambition of the people of Black Wall Street and those who seek to reclaim and rebuild A Stolen Legacy that was burned down.