Join us for a free virtual screening of "Descended from the Promised Land" and hear directly from Black Wall Street descendants.
2021 marked one century after the Tulsa Massacre in 1921 where North Tulsa’s Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, a wealthy area founded by free men and women less than 50 years from the abolishment of slavery, was set ablaze, bombed, and looted during a racially motivated violent attack. Despite the shocking tragedy that displaced over 10,000 people and killed hundreds, the truth was confronted only recently.
Join us for a virtual film screening of “Descended from the Promised Land”, followed by a panel with Black Wall Street descendants Michelle Blocker and Byron Crenshaw.
Panel Speakers:
Michelle Blocker:
Daughter of Mildred Blocker and sister of Jacqueline Blocker. She is descended from Leona Corbett. Michelle is a storyteller and an actress.
Byron Crenshaw:
Son of Leslie Christopher. Byron Crenshaw is descended from John and Lula Williams. Their son is WD. WD’s granddaughter is Leslie and his great grandson is Byron.
About the Film:
In 1921, North Tulsa’s Greenwood District, the most prosperous Black community in America, was set ablaze, bombed, and looted during a racially motivated violent attack against the thriving Black community. Businesses, homes, and lives were lost, and Black Wall Street, as it was known, has never reclaimed its former glory. The Tulsa Race Massacre was only the first in a line of repeated targeted attacks on the progress of the Greenwood District and its residents.
Through the lens of Black Wall Street descendants Byron Crenshaw, Jacqueline Blocker and Michelle Blocker, we draw a century-long thread from the Tulsa Race Massacre to the present, exploring the lingering economic, psychological and emotional impacts that have undermined the rebuilding of the once thriving community.
Through intimate interviews and lyrical verite, Byron, Jacqueline, Michelle and their family members reach back to uplift the stories of their forebears, the success they created, the pride they possess, while also reckoning with the unfulfilled potential of what could have been a Black Promised Land. More details about the film.