Greenwood County
In 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma a district named Greenwood was thriving with successful African- Americans. A young entrepreneur named O.W. Gurley bought 40 acres of land a few years prior that was only sold to blacks and they started building. From that birthed doctors offices, law offices, a movie theater, restaurants and various entrepreneur businesses along Greenwood Avenue. The avenue did not run through any white neighborhoods which was something the residents took great pride in; it was something of their own.
While the self-sufficient and thriving neighborhood housed hundreds of black entrepreneurs and scholars alike, it was burned to the ground within just a few days. An angry mob of white residents of Tulsa started a riot over a young black boy (Dick Rowland) allegedly assaulting a white girl (Sarah Page) in an elevator. This was only an excuse to attack what appeared to be a thriving self-sufficient black community. Frustrated with seeing an independent black neighborhood on the rise, the whites incited a riot which was later to be summarized as a massacre. Intentionally removed from state and local records, this race massacre is said to have been the cause of death for upwards of 300 African-Americans, hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, and an ongoing narrative of being threatened by our collective potential. Despite white people's attempt to stop progress, we know now that strides have been made, mountains have been moved, and anything truly is possible. Yet, we still have a long way to go.
It is time for a new tactic. Engaging and merging the worlds of influence and power. It is time to monetize our potential. It’s time to express ourselves in our actions as well as our words. The attitude will be defined in a word that is derived out of hate, but revived into a renaissance. We know the world might be divided on its meaning but let us never be confused about its roots. We have earned the right to define our future and call it want we want. As professionals, students, scientist, clergy, artist, athletes, hustlers, musicians, educators, medical practitioners or homeless, let us lift the veil of our pain and start the progress for our prosperity together. We are rising out of the ashes of Greenwood and monetizing our true value as a people.
We encourage you to join, create and fuel a movement of your own. At Six Point Four, we will give back to the community, to businesses and to causes that make a difference for our people. Moments On Cotton will be our subtle way to remind the world that we will express ourselves on a canvas that broke our peoples back.