After a Century of Silence, Philanthropy Helps Raise the Voices of the Past in Tulsa
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May 31, 1921, is well in the past, but its lessons endure.
After the Civil War ended in 1865, the state of Oklahoma touted itself as a safe haven for post-emancipation African Americans, attracting the largest number of Black townships in the country. By 1921, Tulsa was a city of about 100,000 residents, rising on the tide of oil money. Yet it was highly segregated. The 10,000 residents of the Greenwood District, a neighborhood “built by Black people for Black people,” had become self-reliant, with enough thriving commerce along the main thoroughfare to earn the name “Black Wall Street.”
That affluence raised a simmering resentment among white residents. Spurred by an accusation of assault that was ultimately refuted, between May 31 and June 1, an angry white mob massacred dozens of Greenwood citizens in the streets and burned homes and businesses to the ground. As many as 300 Black residents died; nearly 10,000 were left homeless. Yet the two days of death and destruction were met by a silence that carried forward for decades.
One hundred years later, the Tulsa Race Massacre has reached widespread national consciousness, thanks in part to several high-profile media projects and a series of events and exhibits to remember one of the worst incidents of racial violence in the country’s history.
Millions have been raised through a commission set up to commemorate the victims, including a main event that was scheduled for Memorial Day 2021. In the days leading up to the event, however, which was to feature Stacey Abrams and John Legend, it was cancelled amid a dispute over how much of the funds should go toward reparations.
While that outcome is still up in the air, we’ve seen several philanthropic commitments made recently, some through the commission and some made separately. Here’s how funders are donating to commemorate the centennial and advance equity, and how giving aligns with their priorities.
A debate over reparations
The single largest fundraising draw is the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, a donor-designated fund that’s at the center of actions and events.
Its flagship project is “Greenwood Rising,” a planned state-of-the-art history center that aims to tell the story of the original Black Wall Street and the race massacre—and anchor the area’s economic revitalization. Other work includes an art project, an educational initiative, a grant program and a series of events to lift the narrative.
The “Remember and Rise” event was cancelled just days before the anniversary amid questions about what part of the reported $30 million the commission has raised—and future proceeds—should go to the victims and their descendants. Some argue that a large portion of the money should be directed toward reparations, while others say that reparations should come from the government. In 2001, a commission formed by the state legislature recommended the payment of reparations as a way to heal some of the tremendous damage caused by the violence. But local government has taken no action.
The Centennial Commission (a different body than the 2001 commission) was open to directing reparation payments from the fund, but negotiations were held up over the amount requested and other details. The fund may be limited in how much more it can commit, from existing funds, at least. As a donor-designated fund, it’s possible the bulk of funding was directed toward specific events and projects, rather than the unrestricted support that can flow to any purpose (we’ve requested comment from the commission, but haven’t heard back yet). Whatever the outcome, the situation will offer an important case study of both donor intent and how private philanthropy may or may not be used to pay racial reparations—a fiercely debated topic that has gained new momentum in the past year.
Greenwood Art Project
Some of the planned public initiatives found a natural fit with large donors. Bloomberg Philanthropies, for example, is one of the sponsors of the Greenwood Art Project, the commission’s public art initiative.
Local, national and international artists joined to raise local awareness through free public programming in 30 locations throughout Tulsa and digital offerings that can be shared globally. Beyond sealing the event in history, events are intended to celebrate the healing and recovery process and “resilience of Black communities across the country.” Forms of expression include visual arts projects and educational experiences, processionals, theater, film and interactive technology.
The project drew $1 million in support from Bloomberg Philanthropies as a winning city in the foundation’s 2019 Public Art Challenge, which supports innovative, temporary projects that engage the creative sector in enhancing urban identities. The Tulsa-based George Kaiser Family Foundation also partnered on the project with a $200,000 contribution.
Greenwood Rising
In October of 2020, Bank of America made a $1 million grant to “Greenwood Rising,” the commission’s physical history center.
The support is part of the bank’s $1 billion, four-year initiative to advance racial equality, health care and economic opportunity in minority communities. It echoes another of its storytelling initiatives, a $25 million national investment in the Smithsonian’s “Race, Community and Our Shared Future” project, which explores how Americans understand, experience and confront race.
Characterized by a state senator as the largest investment by a corporate donor headquartered outside Oklahoma, the museum-grade center is expected to become a focal point for “embracing the past, sparking meaningful and sustainable economic progress and facilitating racial reconciliation in Tulsa and beyond” when it officially opens in July.
Another example of directed giving came through the family foundation of a local developer. Maggie Hille Yar, who the commission says has “long been engaged with its work,” helps lead economic development for the Centennial Commission. Her family foundation, the Hille Foundation, donated a third of an acre for the present museum site when the deal for a previous site fell through.
The commission’s flagship project fits within the foundation’s community improvement funding area, which promotes projects that “benefit and revitalize the Tulsa community.” They include GreenArch, a mixed-use residential and commercial area; Gathering Place, a public park along the riverfront; and the Tulsa Zoo.
A family fund
Another family foundation made its own way. Last June, the Zarrow Family Foundation created a $6 million Commemoration Fund to honor the victims of the race massacre.
Inspired by the rising racial equality movement across the U.S., Zarrow acknowledged a responsibility to address disparities “rooted in white supremacy and systemic racism” and committed to finding sustainable, collaborative solutions.
Over the course of the next five to seven years, the fund plans to direct resources to “bold and innovative efforts to correct social, political and economic injustices that impact Black, POC and Latinx members of the community.” Decisions are shaped by an advisory board that’s completely composed of people of color.
The foundation was founded by Henry and Zack Zarrow, two brothers who amassed their fortune through the Sooner Pipe and Supply Company, and became prominent local philanthropists. Three related family foundations will join to advance the initiative: The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation, and the Zarrow Family Foundation.
The first round of grantees was recently announced, and includes the expansion of the Tulsa Coalition of 100 Black Men’s Summer Y.E.S. program to grow long-term generation wealth among Black youth, and Horton Records production of an album performed in the original Cherokee language.
