Watch Now: Black Wall Street Heritage Parade celebrates success of African American founders

Mary Williams wants to introduce a broader perspective on American history, one that honors the African Americans who built the country and spreads hope for the generations to come. A parade during the commemoration events for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre centennial was the place God told her to start, she said.

“Groundbreakers are often forgotten or marginalized, but our framework today is because of the footprints of yesterday,” said Williams, founder of Color Me True. “African Americans are woven into the fabric of America with honor and credibility as much as any other culture of people or race.”

It’s those very founders Williams sought to bring into the public’s eye Saturday morning through dazzling educational floats, vintage automobiles, historical characters and at least 100 motorcycle riders from all over the country in the first Black Wall Street Heritage Parade.

The line made its way through the heart of Greenwood during the Black Wall Street Legacy Festival as Williams spoke from a stage about each of the more than 25 entries, engaging spectators in the tales of history and encouraging them to imagine the district as it once was.

The floats commemorated the lives and legacies of Black figures such as Greenwood founder O.W. Gurley, who breathed life into the land once unwanted; Booker T. Washington High School founding principal Ellis Walker Woods, who “walked 500 miles from Tennessee to educate our children,” the float read; and Simon Berry, who was the largest employer of African Americans on Greenwood during that time, said Lana Turner-Addison, president of the North Tulsa Economic Development Initiative.

Berry founded a jitney, or ride-hailing, service in Greenwood, along with Tulsa’s bus service and a plane charter service, which made him an easy choice for the nonprofit to feature, Turner-Addison said; his entrepreneurial spirit continues to inspire people today.

“There’s a lot we have learned and can continue to learn from Greenwood’s fathers,” she said.

Another float recognized successful African American physicians of the past, such as Dr. R.T. Bridgewater and Dr. A.C. Jackson, who was murdered while surrendering outside his home during the massacre, while also showcasing Black doctors serving the Tulsa area present-day.

Rhythms from the Holland Hall drumline and Booker T. Washington High School Band resounded off rebuilt buildings along the way and whoops and hollers from Alpha Phi Alpha strollers rang out above the music streaming from speakers dotted here and there.

Russell LaCour, president of the local graduate Alpha Tau Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, said participation in the parade was, along with many other events taking place for the centennial, a once-in-a-lifetime event — a chance for education.

“A lot of times all people know about us is we do the stroll or step,” LaCour said before listing off alumni such as Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and Cornel West. “Some of the greatest Black men ever are Alpha men, and we pride ourselves on leadership and grooming Black men for that.”

The Buffalo Riders Motorcycle Club, named for the historic African-American U.S. Army regiments dubbed such by Native Americans who respected their fighting ability, later thundered through the streets in force.

Despite the noise of the parade, in some silent spaces the roar of Interstate 244, which cuts through the historic district, demanded the attention of one’s ear, as did the construction of Greenwood Rising behind the stage from which Tulsa vocalist April Gahagan sang.

Having a full view of the street activity from where she stood, Gahagan called it “surreal” to see what the district is now compared to what it was.

“There’s a sense of hope,” she said. “But also still a sense of tragedy.”

Williams said she hoped the parade would celebrate the triumphs of Black Tulsa’s past and encourage the community through the future.

Individuals should “decide to be the change that we seek,” she said. “We can only do that by learning and growing together.”