Being a Tulsa native, I have learned about the Tulsa race riots in school growing up. This event is a terrible part of our nations history and it is hard to believe that it happened in my hometown, especially in the neighborhood where I went to school. I thought the documentary "Before They Die" was a very interesting and informative film. It discussed not only the history of the Tulsa Race Riots but it also discussed both what was, and was not, being done in order to compensate those survivors of the 1921 riots.
After watching this film, it was hard to not be infuriated for these survivors. They lived through this terrible event and aren't even given any compensation. Oh I'm sorry, these survivors were given brass medals saying they were survivors as there compensation. That is ridiculous! They deserve so much more then a medal, they deserve respect, honor and for our nation to know what really occurred during those June nights. The Tulsa Race Riot is known as the worst in US history, yet so few of our nations citizens know about what even occurred during these 72 life changing hours. Not only were the days which the riots occurred life changing, but so were the weeks and months to follow. The people who lived in the greenwood neighborhood were put into tents since their houses were destroyed by the whites. If they wanted to leave or go anywhere/do anything they were given a tag with a number. The part I found to be most shocking was that they were having the African American men clean up the mess with no pay. This mess was brought on all because a white women was assumed to have been assaulted in an elevator by a black man. We don't even know if this true or not, and this is the event that brought upon this gruesome riot. After watching this documentary, I was angry that the survivors were denied compensation by congress and by my hometown of Tulsa! Listening to the defense counsel speak made me even more angry, his excuses were pathetic and I didn't understand how he could truly believe that these survivors didn't deserve anything for what they went through.
This is a part of our past that we can't forget happened. It is something that needs to be talked about so that we can realize how far we have come. Not only do we need to remember what has happened but it would be nice if something was done for the few survivors there are left. These individuals deserve justice and just want the world to know their story and what they went through. I'm happy I went to see the film, I learned more then I knew before and will always remember this important event that happened Tulsa.
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