Story of Greenwood's resilience, how it can 'inspire the world,' sets the tone for diversity conference

“I believe this year will be a demarcation in time — that (people) will look back in years to come and say something happened in the United States. Something began to change the narrative. Something began to change as it relates to race relations, inclusion, diversity.”

“And I believe that Tulsa, Oklahoma, … the Greenwood history and story will be a pivotal part of that change, of that trajectory that’s moving forward.”

Armstrong, project director of the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, was the leadoff speaker Wednesday for the biennial Return on Inclusion Summit, billed as Oklahoma’s largest professional diversity and inclusion conference.

The two-day virtual event is being held in partnership with the centennial commission this year, as Tulsa prepares to mark the anniversary of the 1921 massacre that destroyed its thriving African American Greenwood district.

Armstrong talked about plans for commemorating the centennial, along with how the story of Greenwood will be told through the upcoming Greenwood Rising museum and history center.

All signs point to thousands of people descending on the community for the May 31-June 1 commemoration, he said, adding that more than 700 hotel rooms are already booked.

With the COVID-19 pandemic hampering planning, “we were wondering whether people would make the trip here,” Armstrong said.

“But I’ve heard from so many people since saying, ‘We are making a pilgrimage back to Tulsa during this time,’” he said.

“This is going to be a very moving moment for our city, for the residents of Greenwood, for this history and really for our country.”

In light of the pandemic, safety will be top priority, he said. The primary venue of Drillers Stadium will offer plenty of space, and thousands of masks will be available.

Armstrong wore a T-shirt that read “Dick Rowland 1921” and mentioned it as he discussed plans for the museum.

“In the last 10 to 15 years we’ve learned to say their names,” he said of key African American figures from the massacre such as Rowland.

Blamed for inciting the mob violence that followed, the young Black man’s alleged assault of a white woman was just “a striking of a match,” Armstrong added. It was preceded by the slow build-up of racial animosity over many years.

The museum, still under construction but expected to be dedicated during the commemoration, will tell the bigger story of Black experience in Oklahoma and show how the 1921 massacre was not isolated in time, he said.

And it won’t stop with the events of that year.

“What many people who come here don’t realize is this community rallied and rebuilt itself,” Armstrong said.

“Some people think that time stood still in 1921. But Greenwood was actually made bigger and better economically, almost twice the size in the 1940s. And that’s the part that people are just amazed about.”

The museum will share “the amazing, amazing story of this community that can inspire the world.”

“We’re really on our way,” he added of progress on Greenwood Rising, which is expected to open to the public later in June.

“The construction crews have been absolutely phenomenal. And we’re so excited that we’ve been able to hire many African American and minority construction firms throughout the state of Oklahoma and Tulsa. (African Americans) have been involved in every aspect of this.”

Just like the museum, which will host programs to promote change and racial reconciliation, the centennial event is about more than reflecting on the past, Armstrong said.

“We’re being very intentional that this is not to be a time where people come together and sing ‘Kumbaya’ and hold hands and then go back to our respective corners,” he said. “This is just the beginning — and not only of a journey to racial reconciliation, but to the economic revitalization of what was Greenwood.”

Visitors will be able to see “what can happen when a community comes together even over something as horrific as this tragedy,” Armstrong said. “And we can take from this to build a brighter and better future not only for Tulsa Greenwood, but as a model that can go out to other communities around the country.”

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