By Dawn Tree
Imagine walking around Greenwood in the thriving 18th century, a district overflowing with Black wealth. It’s highly visible, the stride in one’s walk, the greetings to one another, the owned property and businesses.
Now fast forward to now, where there are less than 10 thriving Black businesses, history embedded only into the streets with markers lining the main business district and no true force driving people to the one and only “America’s Black Wall Street.” Wouldn’t you want to enhance the present, build tourism, work on economic growth in a city that so needs it? Then imagine waking up to this email.
“…the State Historic Preservation Officer does not plan to return the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Tulsa Race Riot Historic District to the National Park Service, (NPS).” Melvena Heisch sent this in an email August 26, 2014.
“…anyone can appeal the State Historic Preservation Office’s (SHPO) decision about the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nomination to the Keeper of the Register in accordance with National Park Services (NPS) regulations 36 CFR Part 60: National Register of Historic Places.” This is part of an email Michael Reed, Tulsa activist and retired firefighter, received from Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer of SHPO rejecting the nomination. Generally, properties eligible for listing in the National Register are at least 50 years old.
Due to man-made fires burning down many buildings in 1921, the national guard dropping bombs, and not to mention Urban Renewal, which is the publicly subsidized destruction of old inner-city properties and construction of new development, urban renewal began nationwide with the Housing Act of 1949, many of these buildings are unrecognized as the businesses they were in the 20s.
Properties less than 50 years of age must be exceptionally important to be considered eligible for listing according to NPS’ website. To the most reasonable, these facts would add up to be exceptional.
What Does SHPO Have To Say?
After reaching Heisch at her office in Oklahoma City, she referred The Oklahoma Eagle’s designee to Bob Blackburn, Executive Director of SHPO, as she was not taking any questions on the subject.
Blackburn, who clearly sounds energetic about rejuvenating the efforts of passing the nomination for Greenwood to be on the national registry, has a new strategy in recommending a process called “multiple properties nomination.”
“This would make the efforts tangible, I’m not about lip service and since the beginning, wanted a nomination that was income producing,” Blackburn says.
Blackburn is proposing to find one property, suggesting Vernon African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, to begin with, while establishing criteria as to why this district is significant, by telling the entire story from the beginning of Greenwood’s existence.
“Creating jobs, tax credits, vitality—multiple properties approval would make it easier to place other properties. Someone could make a building industrial if it meets criteria,” Blackburn explains.
A current black business owner in the Greenwood district states that this was presented years ago, maybe not in the same terminology, but states that Vernon AME church and the Mabel B. Little Heritage House both met criteria but was told each building needed to do their own nomination, according to a business owner whose wishes to remain anonymous.
How Long Will The Nomination Take Once Appealed?
When asked why there has been such a gap in productivity toward the efforts, Blackburn said he has seen how some things take a long time to come to fruition, noting a project that took 10 years to approve. “I know things take a while but the past nomination was setting the standards too low and by raising the standards high enough we can attract partners, which means more resources,” He said.
“I am not discouraged but I will be disappointed if we give up and if we didn’t do it together—community members, the National Park Service, City of Tulsa, Greenwood Chamber and Greenwood Cultural Center.”
Reed, who originally received the email from Heisch was, and is a part of a group of lay community members who met in their free time, composed documents for nomination, sent emails/phone calls in rebuttal, spent time organizing with no resources, no pay. Reed said
“We’re going to always pursue it, why it hasn’t happened is shameful.”
There Are Many Perspectives In The Community, Those Working To Make This Happen.
Sherry Gambles-Smith, who served as the Executive Director of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce for two and a half years, perked an ear when learning that Greenwood wasn’t on the registry in 2015. “I kept asking people about the recognition of the district, that’s when I asked Kathy Taylor, our former mayor, and she said, ‘no we don’t have it and it’s never going to be,’ so I went on and pursued it myself,” Gambles-Smith said.
Gambles-Smith who is new to the historical history says with people like Regina Goodwin, Oklahoma’s state House of Representatives Representative and Vanessa Hall-Harper, the District 1 representative on the Tulsa City Council, we’re going to keep the momentum going.
Rebecca Marks-Jimerson, Executive director of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce currently says she appreciates the work key community members have been doing. “It’s going to take the community and what these proceeding community members have done is making a big impact,” Jimerson says strongly.
She also expressed that due to recently taking the position as director she hasn’t had much time to tackle this issue, although she strongly expresses the importance and want to help back any efforts.
The 1921 Race Riot Centennial Commission’s, spearheaded by Oklahoma Sen. Kevin Matthews, sole purpose is to leverage the rich history surrounding the 1921 Race Riot (Massacre) by facilitating actions, activities and events that commemorate and educate all citizens.
With all those moving forward to move the Greenwood district forward, one would only hope they are capable of moving forward together. Black Tulsa’s future is bright, making Tulsa’s future even brighter.
Further Resources:
The nomination types include: These include National Historic Landmarks (NHL), National Historic Sites (NHS), National Historical Parks, National Military Parks/Battlefields, National Memorials, and some National Monuments.
