paul, he carry the museums are place placing civic and these objects and archives of the tulsa massacre and depict the resilience of the greenwood community. the museums work is an important part of filling the silence that a threat if the massacre for too long. give us a brief overview of the chain of events that led a white mob to destroy green woods visit, homes and community. >> thanks, tracy. the chain of events that led to this massacre takes place along i think two timelines that you can look at. one is this longer timeline of racial violence that was being perpetrated against african-american communities much like the commutes in oklahoma that mary has described. that's really been taking place systematically since the end of the civil war. not just in the american south in places like memphis and louisiana but also throughout the nation and increasingly so into the 20th century. in fact, the red summer as it is note of 1919 some racial massacres not merely of the scale we're talking about here but still significant events of mass racial violence incidents like washington, d.c.,

for more about the tulsa race massacre, visit pbs.org/tulsamassacre. that's all for this special edition of "pbs newshour weekend: tulsa revisited". i'm michael hill, thank you for watching. [lively music] - [narrator] "pbs newshour weekend" is made possible by sue and edgar wachenhe iii, the anderson family fund, bernard and denise schwartz, the cheryl and philip milstein family, barbara hope zuckerberg, the leonard and norma klorfine foundation, the peter g. peterson and joan ganz cooney fund, the estate of worthington mayo-smith. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group, retirement services and investments. additional support has been provided by consumer cellular. and by. and by the corporation for public broadcaing, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you, thank you. [gentle meloc tones] [lively music] - [narrator] you

mark: how present is the memory of this tulsa massacre in the mind of the average american. biden said it has been swept under the carpet. i suspect there are two answers, a white answer in a black answer, and i suspect they are different. david: that is right. for many americans it is a journey of discovering it f the first time. people in their middle-age said they never heard of it. it was not taught in their school wherever they were, and that applies to both black and white students. for examplea documenty maker tried to make a film and tv networks were not interested, where as last night, i was trying to make up my mind which tulsa massacre documentary to watch. there were quite a few of them. i think george floyd and the black lives have changed everything. yes, there was awareness in the african-american community for a long time and commemorated in museums and so on, but there are some black people who are finding out. certainly, white people are supportive, very eager to discover more as part of that journey, but it is also fair to say that there are parts of ameri

mark the 100 anniversary of the tulsa -- tulsa, oklahoma to mark the 100th anniversary of the tulsa race massacret, a hearing working the centennial of the 1921 tulsa race massacre. three of the survivors now more than 100 years old shared their childhood experiences and the impact of the massacre on their lives.

>> we can see the ongoing harm of the tulsa massacre to the state. for the difficult financial loss for people in tulsa oklahoma. people fled the city. families were split apart and infrastructure was destroyed. that has continued over time as they try to prevent building back and continued to target greenwood for the racially divisive urban developments driving a three way through the middle of the community splitting the community apart and dividing it from the rest of tulsa. it's been a continuing problem and there's been no effort in the remediation. let me ask you this. one of the witnesses said that insurance companies had not honored claims. how did they go about the property casualty, insurance, homeowners insurance, how did they not get compensation, how did they get out of it? >> they said that there was a clause in the insurance that refused to pay up and so the insurance companies denied hundreds of people the claim professor miller explained some of the insurance companies not to compensate the victims, did they suggest that they were res

since the tulsa race massacre took place, 100 years ago says here, is this finally getting the attention that it deserves? yes, finally, slowly, it's been too long. a lot of people would say, an order for this to come to light. there are so many americans, as i'm sure, you know, have never heard about tulsa in greenwood and about this thriving african american community. had doctors and lawyers, a post office hospital, everything that you need for a community to be home. and over 2 days and angry white mom massacred people. there are hundreds of black bodies in the street. they've, they've on earth a, a mass grave that they've been asked escalating as of late and they burned down everything. and when you took this part of the reason why the story is so important, is that it puts a light on what's really happened with the black community when it comes to the wealth gap, which is what bite and was talking about. how can you pass down generational wealth when you're not allowed to build and you're not alive to thrive? in this case also shows about systematic racism. when people say it doesn

and lisa, in the context of the tulsa race massacre, introduce yourself to our global audience. hello, i'm anna lisa bruner, the great granddaughter of mary elizabeth jones parish, tulsa race massacre, survivor author of a nation must awake, nice to seattle. lisa, thanks for being with us. hello, carlos, hello audience, who you are? hi, my name is carlos marino. i'm the author of the victory of greenwood, which tells readers about the founding of greenwood and it's historical figures up until the present day. get to have in holland or in the context of the tulsa race masika. introduce yourself to our international audience. hello, i'm laura pitter. i'm the deputy director of the u. s. program at human rights watch, and we've offered a report called the case for reparations in tulsa, oklahoma. get to have the gas and lisa, and call us in order to understand what happened in greenwood, in tulsa. you have to appreciate what an extraordinary place it was. i am not sure if the, the descriptions i've seen the pictures i've seen have been slightly exaggerated. here was such an amazing p

massacre. [applause] pres. biden: among the worst in our history. amy: president biden visits tulsa, oklahoma, to mark the 100th anniversary of one of the deadliest race massacres in the nation's history when a white mob attacked a tulsa neighborhood, dubbed black wall street, killing an estimated 300 african americans. we will hear part of biden's remarks anspeak to duke professor william darity, a leading scholar on reparations, about biden's proposals to close the racial wealth gap. >> there is a tendency in this cotry to grossly underestima the size of the bck-white alth gap. folks are t typicay aware thdifference in neork between the average black and white household is approximately $840,000. amy: plus, we will look at the link between mass shootings and domestic violence. >> the nexus of guns, domestic violence puts women and ulmately all of us at tremdous ris women in the u.s. are 21 times more likely to be killed with a gun and women in other high income countries. amy: and we will at how the sports world is addressing mental health issues as tennis superstar naomi osaka wi

hannibal johnson was on this program back on monday to talk about the tulsa race massacre. s book, lack wall street, 100 american city grapples with historical racial trauma. program, it's all focused on the 100th anniversary of the tulsa race massacre. that's going to do it for the first segment of the washington journal. we will return this question to end the program. but we turn now to the issue of animal agriculture. we will be joined next by the national cattlemen's beef association's caitlin glover to talk about the impact of present biden's environmental agenda on the beef industry. we will talk about the racial wealth gap in the united states. we had the national community reinvestment coalition who will join us with that discussion. stick with us. we will be right back. ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2021] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> book tv on c-span two has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. saturday at 10:00 eastern o

that rights for black americans are still under assault to the stay are now the survivors of the tulsa massacre over 100 years old, but never in their long life. have they seen a president commemorate the event? president biden held a minute of silence in tulsa to remember a black community that was subjected to one of the worst racial attacks in us history. for much too long. the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness. but just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place. in 1921, a mob of white people looted and burned tulsa's, thriving greenwood district. a profit count of the dead was never completed. but some estimates say hundreds of black americans were killed. those now living in the cities say the president's visit was vital for racial justice. and it's important because there's a beginning of admittance. there's a beginning of, let's speak on these things and let's try to deal with this so that we can grow and move forward. we need his presence. we need for people to continue to learn about the race massacre and to continue t

. ♪ >> this week marks 100 years since the 1921 tulsa race massacre.istorians believe as many as 300 black people were killed and 10,000 were made homeless after a white mob descended on the thriving black's nest district. the washington post -- thriving black business district. a washington post reporter spoke about what happened 100 years ago and the lasting effects of the century-old massacre. >> good afternoon. welcome to washington post live. i am race and economics reporter at the washington post. we are speaking today with schola we are speaking today with scholars as the city of tulsa marks 100 years after the attack on a prosperous black neighborhood by a white mob. we are joint by two people from the national museum of black history and culture. thank you both for being with us today for this important conversation. mary, tell us briefly about the black community of greenwood mary: the black community in greenwood represents the fulfillment of dreams. dreams of african-americans who looked at indian territory during the period of the land rus

mark the 100 anniversary of the tulsa -- tulsa, oklahoma to mark the 100th anniversary of the tulsa race massacre. >> next, a hearing working the centennial of the 1921 tulsa race massacre. three of the survivors now more than 100 years old shared their childhood experiences and the impact of the massacre on their lives. hours. >> without objection that shares authorized a recess of the subcommittee at any time. i will come everyone to today's hearing on continuing injustice the centennial of the tulsa centennial race massacre. before we continue i to remind members we have a distribution list to circulating motions who wants to offer in today's hearing they will be distributed. finally like to ask all members and witnesses in person and remotely mute your microphone when you are not speaking this will help prevent feedback and other technical issues keep your facemask on at all times in the speaking or unless you are over 100 years old. for those in the room that will be our protocol. i now recognize myself for an opening statement. mr. allison ms. fletcher, welcome and thank you for coming. we

for the past 30 years, we have worked to acknowledge the history of the 1921 tulsa race massacre and black wall street. the work in this pictorial exhibit is based largely on the writings of former state representative don ross, and this land where we stand now is considered sacred ground. this was once home to black wall street. in this image, which is dated 1917, you can see black owned businesses lining the streets of greenwood. there were dentist offices, attorney's office,s hotels, movie theaters. there were restaurants, nightclubs, schools, churches, anything you can imagine wanting or needing in your community in 1921, the black community had here in the greenwood district the most prosperous successful , black-owned business district in the country during that time. all of that would change on may 31, 1921. this image is of mount zion back missed church -- baptist church. it sits just to the west of the greenville cultural center. in this image prior to the massacre which took place here, you can see this is actually the church prior to the massacre and as it is in flames. th

being openly discussed 100 years ago this week, one of the worst massacres in the history of the united states took place during the tulsa race massacre. white americans bombed, hunted down and killed black men, women and children, while burning their homes and businesses to the ground. an african american community once so wealthy that it was described as being black wall street was torn apart. the massacre with them played down to such an extent. it wasn't even mention in history. books are taught in schools for decades. and these presses really played a large role in racing, that tulsa reese massacre from living memory. and it's only been last 2025 years. the historians are really sort of digging through some of the documents that are existing to be able to piece together what really happened. and that's why they're there such white estimates on the number of victims. and there are so few accounts existing today in the 1st few years after the event. it was not written about in the, in the newspapers here in tulsa and in fact, on june 1st and 1921. that tells the tribune the cover page with what is thought to be an aud

should the descendants of the tulsa massacre receive reparations? >> i think that, yeah. trauma or are one generation from those that underwent the trauma and i think that there should be an acknowledgment of what happened was wrong. in the form of payment or funding of programs that makes perfect sense to me. not because i am against reparations but reparations for black america already happened in the late 1960s. some worked, some didn't. now it would have to be about whether or not black america needs reparations again. that is a different conversation than we tend to have. >> you will raise eyebrows by saying that reparations already happened. an economist from duke university estimates there were up to 100 massacres like tulsa taking place between the end of the civil war to the 1940s. reparations overall. does it become impossible to decide who gets reparations and who does not? i think people think reparations will be like people get checks. instead of paying it back, it could be paying it forward. >> there is no reason why you can't take every one of those massacr

should the descendants of the tulsa massacre receive reparations? >> i actually think yeah.t was 100 years ago. there's still people living who underwent the trauma or who were just one generation from those who underwent the trauma, and i think that there should be some sort of acknowledgement that what happened was wrong, and it should be in the form of perhaps payment or perhaps funding of programs. it makes perfect sense to me. i'm a little wary of the idea that we should think of that as a microcosm for what should happen for black america because -- not because i'm against reparations but because reparations for black america already happened starting in the late '60s. some of it worked. some of it didn't. but our conversation now would have to be about whether black america overall needs reparations again, and that's a different conversation than we tend to have. >> yeah, and you're going to raise some eyebrows, as you know, by saying reparations already happened. i'm sure you've felt it already. an economist from duke university estimates to someone that there were u

the rights for black americans are still under assault to this day are now the survivors of the tulsa massacre over 100 years old, but never in their long life. have they seen a president commemorate the event? president biden held a minute of silence in tulsa to remember a black community that was subjected to one of the worst racial attacks in us history. for much too long. the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness. but just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place in 1921, a mob of white people looted and burned tulsa's. private greenwood district. a proper account of the dead was never completed. but some estimates say hundreds of black americans were killed. those now living in the cities say the president's visit was a vital for racial justice. and it's important because there's a beginning of admittance. there's a beginning of, let's speak on these things and let's try to deal with this so that we can grow and move forward. we need his practice if we need for people to continue to learn about the race math occur and to cont

the tulsa race massacre that had destroyed our family business and criminalized our patriarch, jb stratford. educated at oberlin college, indianapolis law school, jb had a hotel business in tulsa that would have been worth over $2 million in today's money. his hotel, the 54-room stratford hotel on the historic greenwood avenue, was sacked and burned to the ground during the tulsa race massacre of 1921 along with 30 square blocks of black owned property, causing him to flee to kansas and later chicago to save his own life. he was falsely indicted for inciting the riot by an inflamed white grand jury, for daring to stand up with his community to stop a mob from breaking into the jail and lynching a black teenager. sparking the backlash which ended in the grievous massacre. my family worked to get these charges against jb dropped posthumously. i know how lucky i am to have this family history passed down from generation to generation. this history was the one thing that they were not able to steal from us. but as thankful as i am to know my history, i understand that history has no firm line t

massacre. it was called the tulsa race riot at the time.hen i came to work for the museum, as we began to talk about the stories that we needed to tell, john hope franklin who is himself and oklahoman and tulsan. the preeminent american historian who is the son of buck kolbert franklin sat me down and talked about the importance of telling this story in our museum through the use of artifacts when we could find them, and the immense need of not just putting this story in the public's hands in terms of school curriculum, but the way in which these other incredibly valuable learning spaces, museums, and educational spaces where people of all backgrounds can come together needed to learn this story, and that is really where my true education began. and then you meet people like mary as well. tracy: when did you first hear about this? mary: we had family reunions every two years and we talked about the strength of the family in oklahoma and indian territory but we did not talk about the massacre. it was not until the 1980's or 1990's when the s

are now the survivors of the tulsa massacre over 100 years old, but never in their long life. have they seen a president commemorate the event. president biden held a minute of silence in tulsa to remember a black community that was subjected to one of the worst rachel attacks in us history for much too long. the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness. but just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place. in 1921, a mob of white people looted and burned tulsa's, thriving greenwood district. a proper count of the dead was never completed. but some estimates say hundreds of black americans were killed. those now living in the city said the president's visit was a vital for racial justice. and it's important because there's a beginning of admittance. there's a beginning of, let's speak on these things and let's try to deal with this or that we can grow and move forward. we need his presence. we need for people to continue to learn about the race massacre and to continue to invest to really help us move forward. we're look

or now, the survivors of the tulsa massacre over 100 years old, but never in their long life. have they seen a president commemorate the event. president biden held a minute of silence in tulsa to remember a black community that was subjected to one of the worst rachel attacks in us history for much too long. the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness. but just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place. in 1921, a mob of white people looted and burned tulsa's, thriving greenwood district. a proper account of the dead was never completed. but some estimates say hundreds of black americans were killed. those now living in the city said the president's visit was vital for racial justice. and it's important because there's a beginning of admittance. there's a beginning of, let's speak on these things and let's try to deal with this so that we can grow and move forward. we need his presence. we need for people to continue to learn about the race math occur and to continue to invest, to really help us move forward. we're l

are now the survivors of the tulsa massacre over 100 years old, but never in a long life. have they seen a president commemorate the event? president biden held a minute of silence in tulsa to remember a black community that was subjected to one of the worst racial attacks in us history. for much too long. the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked, and people looted and burned. tulsa's, thriving greenwood district, a proper account of the dead was never completed. but some estimates say hundreds of black americans were killed. those now living in the cities say the president's visit was a vital for racial justice. and it's important because there's a beginning of admittance. there's a beginning of, let's speak on these things and let's try to deal with this so that we can grow and move forward. we need his prize and if we need for people to continue to learn about the race massacre and to continue to invest to really help us move forward. we're looking back is one thing, but thinking about what's next is.

culture on the 1921 tulsa race massacre. later, randal quarles on the economic recovery. >> president biden traveled to oklahoma to deliver remarks on the 100th anniversary of the tulsa race massacre. he also met with three survivors of the massacre, including viola fletcher, hughes van ellis, and others. this is 45 minutes. pennsylvania, my grandmother gave me a manuscript written by her great-grandfather. it was a memoir that began with jb's father to buy his own freedom and continued his life as a successful business owner and hotel he gave in tulsa, oklahoma. -- and hotelier in tulsa, oklahoma. the tulsa race massacre that had destroyed our family business and criminalized our patriarch, jb stratford. educated at oberlin college, indianapolis law school, jb had a hotel business in tulsa that would have been worth over $2 million in today's money. his hotel, the 54-room stratford hotel on the historic greenwood avenue, was sacked and burned to the ground during the tulsa race massacre of 1921 along with 30 square blocks of

i asked him about the lasting impact the tulsa massacre has on american society today. mental and it's monumental for a couple of reasons. see black wall street, tulsa, greenwood, what it represented was 35 blocks of black excellence, of people who had pulled themselves up from the bootstraps. there were dentists, there were other small businesses, there were movie theatres, there were homes that were all burned to the ground, where not only people lost their lives, but people also lost wealth and the ability to accumulate generational wealth. so black wall street is what society, what the united states had told black people that they should do. and it's monumental today, of course, being 100 years, but also the fact that president biden went there as one of the first sitting presidents to do so is monumental. and i think that the pathway that he's laid out in terms of legislation can help to amend the wrongs here. just to explain that pathway for us and why it matters so much. yes. part of what people have to recognise is that after black wall street was decimated, that

res massacre was one of the worst incidents racial violence in the history of the united states. but these events, and particularly the tulsa race massacre, was precipitated by you know, jealousy and frustration. whenever black people would advance, you know, there was this backlash that had been brewing intention had been brewing for some time. so if it was a pretext, there were many reasons why the white mob, you know, use this moment to lash out at the black population of tulsa. but you know, 100 years later the issue is, is that today we still do not have any repair or restitution for what happens. 7 following the massacre, the authorities did nothing to prosecute anyone for the violence that took place. no restitution was provided. the people sued to try and get the insurance claims that they had for their, their property and their belongings. they thought for years and courts and ultimately lost that battle. but subsequent to the massacre, they authorities just tried to cover it up north and i are 100 years and did cover it up for a 100 years. so that's why we don't have justice today. no, let me ask you this because

he said several survivors of the tulsa massacre, quote, we must not give hate a safe harbor. >> let's get more on all of this. joining us cnn political commentator van jones, derrick johnson and abby phillips joining us from tulsa right now. abby, the president spoke very emotionally about the tulsa massacre. he connected the injustices of that attack to the challenges america is facing today. how historic was this visit? >> reporter: it was incredibly historic, wolf, to have a president of the united states come to tulsa and recognize what happened here 100 years ago. this is a community particularly of black residents who file like this atrocity has been swept under the rug, not just because people have forgotten or it wasn't taught in schools, but because it was intentionally swept under the rug because people did not want to take responsibility for what happened there. to hear biden not only talk about the specific events of what occurred that night, the burning, the looting, the murders, but also tying it back to the loss of prosperity, the loss of wealth, the loss of a future fo

remarkably, he'll be the very first president to commemorate the anniversary of the tulsa race massacre. the first. last night people gathered in tulsa in the rain to hold a vigil marking the moment, the very first shots were fired on that night 100 years ago. >> today the president will outline a plan to revitalize communities like greenwood where this massacre took place, but he'll also acknowledge the human, the economic loss and he will meet with our next guest. joining us now is oklahoma state representative regina goodwin. her great-grandparents and grandparents survived the two days of murder and devastation that has now become known as the tulsa massacre. thank you so much, representative goodwin, for being with us. >> poppy and jim, thank you so much for having me. >> i read about you as a little girl and when you would go to visit your grandmother in tulsa, you would ask to see this book that she kept under lock and key. what did that book tell you about what we mark 100 years since today? >> well, first of all, it tells me that at their time there was a black woman reporter,

he will meet with the survivors and families of the tulsa massacre.y were. archaeologists and historians begin work today to answer those questions. escalations begin today in one of several mass grave sites identified. given the dimensions of the area, they believe there could be more than 30 unidentified victims buried there. joining us now is nbc news correspondent, antonia hilton, who is down the street actually at oak lawn cemetery, and we have the president of the action network, reverend sharpton. and i want to start with you, reverend al, because you are awaiting the arrival of president biden and have been talking to survivors and their families. what are they telling you right now? >> they are telling me it's great to finally get a presidential recognition, but they need to work in repairing the damage and invest in this community and these survivors went through generations where they did not enjoy the wealth that should have been passed down to them that was destroyed in the racist massacre, and i think it's great what president biden is d

studying it, looking into it, but would not say whether or not he supports reparations for these tulsa massacre victims today. >> that's really interesting, abby. just the more you learn about the tulsa race massacre, the more horrifying it is, and it wasn't in the -- that distant past. >> yeah. >> it was just a hundred years ago. >> there are survivors who have testified in the last couple of weeks. >> that's right. >> in congress. >> this is our history happening right now. and so are there executive actions or executive orders that he is thinking of taking, or is he just going to press congress, abby, to do things? >> reporter: well, some of these things can be done at the executive level. for example, the federal contracting issue is something that, you know, a lot of people say is very important. the federal government is a huge, huge force in the sort of workforce, and they can mobilize federal dollars to hire and to, you know, put money into black communities, but at the same time, some of the other investments that he is asking for are related to his infrastructure bill, which we don't

she wrote a four—part series on the tulsa race massacre of 1921. she joins us from denver. for our viewers around the world, could you explain the significance that this events holds for the american up today? i first heard about _ american up today? i first heard about tulsa, - american up today? i first heard about tulsa, i'd - american up today? i first l heard about tulsa, i'd never heard about tulsa, i�*d never heard about tulsa, i�*d never heard of it until 2019 and i�*m shocked because it should be taught in every school in this country, in history classes. from elementary school on up, through college and i had never heard of it. and when i started to research it for that series, i was shocked at the rhetoric that was happening in tulsa at the time from a very racist newspaper editor, basically in the local media, on the white side of town, if you will, sounded an awful lot like the rhetoric we were hearing from donald trump who was in office at the time and much of the rhetoric that�*s still happening today and i was pretty stunned at the similarities and it really

the tulsa race massacre lives on through mr. van ellis, mother fletcher and mother randall and their descendents. and thank you for being here. it also lives on through the families that lost their homes, their wealth, their loved ones and the futures that they thought they would have. for those who do not believe that racism exists in the united states, i hope the testimony of the witnesses help them understand racism and brutality 100 years ago, 400 years ago continues to stand in the way of the success of the people here today. tulsa is not the only city where violent white supremacy has set the nation back. in my state of north carolina, white supremacists carried out a massacre and coup d'État in 1898 toppling the multiracial government in the majority black city of wilmington. like tulsa, wilmington was once the home to a thriving community and white supremacists were able to demolish black homes and businesses, kill civilians and overthrow a democratically elected government because the system of power in the nation and o

with its historical racial trauma, but first we hear from the oldest living survivor of the tulsa race massacre 107 year old big ola fletcher. here's a portion of her recent testimony before a house judiciary subcommittee. i went to bed in my family's home in greenwood neighbors of tulsa the neighborhood i felt asleep in that night was rich. not just in terms of well, but in culture the community heritage and my family had a beautiful home. we had great neighbors and i had friends to play with i felt safe. i had everything a child could need i had a future head of me. greenwood could my excuse me. yep. still greenwood said had given me the chance to make. truly make it in this country when a few hours all of that was gone the night of the massacre. i was awakened by my family my parents and five siblets were there. i was told we had to leave and that was it. and we'll never forget the violence of the white mob when we left our home. i still see black men seeing being shot. black bodies lying in the street i still smells smoke and see fire. i still see black businesses being burned. i still hear

he's the 1st fitting president to mark the 1921 tulsa massacre, where white residents back by police and national guard units destroyed some 1200 buildings in an upscale black majority district of the city. the exact death hole is not known, but witnesses estimated that as many as 300 black residents were killed. here's some of what the president had to say. the rance we speak of today took place 100 years ago. and yet, i'm the 1st president in 100 years ever to come to tulsa. and i say that not to them about me to think about 100 years and the 1st president to be here during that entire time. and in this place in this ground, to acknowledge the truth. what took place here. the correspondent carolina seymour was in tulsa and sent us this assessment of the wider implications of president biden's visit. president biden's visit to tulsa has been extremely significant normally foretold. sounds on the state of oklahoma, but for the entire nation. he's not only the 1st president to talk about what happened here in 1921, but also the 1st one to call it a massacre. he also talked about syste

he's the 1st sitting president to mark the 1921 tulsa massacre. when white residents back by police and national guard units destroyed some 1200 buildings in an upscale black majority district of the city. the exact death toll is not known. but witnesses estimated that as many as 300 black residents were killed. here's some of what the president had, say. the events we speak of the day took place 100 years ago. and yet, i'm the 1st president in a 100 years ever to come to tulsa. i'd say not to cope about me, but to think about it. a 100 years and the 1st president to be here during that entire time and in this place in this ground to acknowledge the truth. what took place here? peter, the correspondent carolina seymour was in tulsa and sent us this assessment of the wider implications of president biden's visit. president biden's visit to tulsa has been extremely significant. normally foretell sounds on the state of oklahoma, but for the entire nation. he's not only the 1st president to talk about what happened here in 1921, but also the 1st one t

todd: president biden honoring those killed in the tulsa massacre. >> the president's warning on how deals with democracy. >> reporter: biden will be the first president to be part of the remembrance of what happened in tulsa marking the one hundredth anniversary of the massacre of what was known as black wall street claiming the lives of 300 black residents and burning down homes, businesses and churches in the black community there, the visit comes after a memorial service was held there yesterday for visiting lawmakers demanding action and reparations. >> what happened in this community, what happened to my people is unacceptable. >> we will say to america that we too are america. we too should be repaired, restored. >> reparations is required today today today. >> reporter: this after president biden signed a proclamation declaring a day of remembrance for tulsa saying i call on the american people to reflect on racial terror in our nation and recommit to the work of rooting out systemic racism across our country, the committed to administration to address racial inequities sort i

are now the survivors of the tulsa massacre over 100 years old, but never in their long life. have they seen a president commemorate the event. president biden held a minute of silence in tulsa to remember a black community that was subjected to one of the worst racial attacks in us history for much too long. the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness. but just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place. in 1921, a mob of white people looted and burned tulsa's, thriving greenwood district. a profit count of the dead was never completed. but some estimates say hundreds of black americans were killed. those now living in the city said the president's visit was a vital for racial justice. and it's important because there's a beginning of admittance. there's a beginning of, let's speak on these things and let's try to deal with this or that we can grow and move forward. we need his presence. we need for people to continue to learn about the race massacre and to continue to invest to really help us move forward. we're loo

are now the survivors of the tulsa massacre over 100 years old. but never in their long life. have they seen a president commemorate the event? president biden held a minute of silence in tulsa to remember a black community that was subjected to one of the worst racial attacks in us history. for much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness. but just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place. in 1921, a mob of white people looted and burned tulsa's, thriving greenwood district. a proper count of the dead was never completed. but some estimates say hundreds of black americans were killed. those now living in the cities say the president's visit was a vital for racial justice. and it's important because there's a beginning of admittance. there's a beginning of, let's speak on these things and let's try to deal with this so that we can grow and move forward. we need his presence. we me for people to continue to learn about the race massacre and to continue to invest, to really help us move forward. we're lo

well, joe biden has become the 1st sitting us president, the visit, the site of the tulsa massacre in oklahoma. he marked 100 years since a white mob killed as many as 300 african americans in the middle class district, known at the time as the black wall street bought and says, rights, black americans are still under assault to this day are now the survivors of the tulsa massacre over 100 years old, but never in their long life have they seen a president commemorate the event. president biden held a minute of silence in tulsa to remember a black community that was subjected to one of the worst rachel attacks in us history for much too long. the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness. but just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place. in 1921, a mob of white people looted and burned tulsa's, thriving greenwood district. a proper account of the dead was never completed. but some estimates say hundreds of black americans were killed. those now living in the cities say the president's visit was vital for racial justice. and i

leading the nation in a remembrance and a reckoning, marking the 100th anniversary of the 1921 tulsa race massacre >> i am a tulsa native i have been at the cultural cente for 25 years >> reporter: mr. biden being the first president to visit tulsa to commemorate the destruction of what was known as black wall street. >> this was not a riot this was a massacre. and for too long forgotten by our history. >> reporter: the president tonight announcing new measures aimed at closing the racial wealth gap >> imagine all of those hotels and diners and mom and pop shops that could have been passed down the past 100 years shockingly, percentage of black american home ownership is lower today in america than when the fair housing act was passed more than 50 years ago. that's wrong we are committing to changing that. >> reporter: in the early 1900s, tulsa's african-american district was successful and self sufficient until the evening of may 31st, 1921, when a white mob descended on greenwood, shooting and killing hundreds of black residents, burning thousands of homes and businesses. the massacre ended 48 h