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Forbes
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
From Greenwood To Farish Street: Young Black Leaders Are Creating A New Economic Renaissance
This year's Fourth of July arrives just days after the U.S. Senate passed the so-called 'Big, Beautiful Bill'—a sweeping Republican-backed reconciliation package that threatens deep cuts to Medicaid, housing assistance, and public education. Many Black Americans, especially the leaders striving to rebuild post-disinvestment communities, find the holiday's promises of freedom and prosperity particularly unfulfilling. 'There's no liberty when we have to beg for resources to feed our neighbors,' said D'Marria Monday, founder of Founding Director of Block Builderz, a nonprofit that provides housing and resources to formerly incarcerated women. 'There's no freedom when our ancestors' land is under threat.' D'Marria Monday Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Monday knows firsthand what it's like to be in an environment that once thrived but over time, suffered the ills of systemic racism. She says that she stands on the Black people who built Greenwood, a neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was among the most prosperous Black communities in the country during the early 20th century. Known as 'Black Wall Street,' it featured more than 300 Black-owned businesses, including banks, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, and theaters. View of an unspecified parade on Greenwood Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1930s or 1940s. Among the ... More visible businesses are the offices of the Oklahoma Eagle newspaper (at 117 North Greenwood Avenue). (Photo by Greenwood) However, in 1921, white mobs, aided by local officials, set fire to the district, resulting in the deaths of hundreds and the displacement of thousands. No one faced accountability, and the survivors received no compensation. 100 years later, Monday says the big, beautiful bill feels sickeningly familiar. An African-American man with a camera looking at the skeletons of iron beds which rise above the ... More ashes of a burned-out block after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 1921. (Photo by Oklahoma) As I write this, I agree. The timing underscores a bitter truth: while federal lawmakers celebrate American exceptionalism, grassroots leaders like Monday are forced to bootstrap the very safety nets their communities have been denied. They are restoring the promise of the American dream—not through policy handouts, but through sheer vision, legacy, and resolve. Across the country, Black millennials and xennials are, much like their ancestors, leading a modern movement to restore the rich legacies of historically Black economic districts like Tulsa's Greenwood. A Legacy of Prosperity—and Erasure Further south, Jackson, Mississippi's Farish Street was once a bustling cultural and commercial hub for African Americans during the Jim Crow era. By the 1940s, the strip was home to over 200 Black-owned businesses, including pharmacies, barber shops, and entertainment venues like the Alamo Theater. But redlining, urban renewal, and systemic divestment hollowed out the corridor over the decades. In Bluffton, South Carolina, Black families—especially Gullah-Geechee descendants—once maintained strong economic and cultural footholds. Yet climate change, land theft, and tourism-driven displacement have made land retention a constant battle . Today, a new generation is picking up the torch. Bluffton's Cultural Renaissance In Bluffton, South Carolina, Bridgette Frazier has created Ma Daisy's Porch, a culinary and cultural destination rooted in Gullah heritage. 1930S African-American Girl Little Brother Watching Weaving A Sweetgrass Basket In Front Of Log ... More Cabin Rural South Carolina USA (Photo By H. Armstrong Roberts/Classicstock/Getty Images) 'It was important for me to do this because I saw our people not having space to have their stories told, or to have an economic footprint in an area generating revenue off Gullah culture,' said Frazier, a city council member and entrepreneur. Despite Gullah culture generating an estimated $32 billion annually in South Carolina, she points out that few Gullah natives see even a fraction of that wealth. Bridgette Frazier, Hilton Head, NC council member and owner of Ma Daisy's PorchFrazier's journey was not without resistance. She faced bureaucratic red tape typical of projects in historic districts, along with outright obstruction from local officials. Her concept Ma Daisy's Porch, a hub that includes a restaurant, bakery, museum, and event space, named after her grandmother who was the matriarch in Bluffton, is meant to provide not only a safe space for residents, but also reinvigorate Black business ownership in the area. Ms Daisy's Porch In the past, Bluffton had approximately 15 to 20 Black-owned businesses during the Jim Crow era. However, today, that number is significantly lower, with only two remaining, according to Savannah Magazine. The inequity is stubborn and hard to uproot, according to Frazier. 'I dealt with smear campaigns—even from state senators,' she recalled. Yet, thanks to a values-aligned investor and hands-on executive coaching, Ma Daisy's Porch is now open to the public, and according to her, just the beginning. The Fight for Farish Street That same belief in legacy as a tool for restoration powers the work of Aikisha Holly Colon in Jackson, Mississippi. Alongside her mother, a retired physician and civil rights-era businesswoman, Colon is reviving Farish Street—once the crown jewel of Black economic life in Mississippi. The family is building a new residence next to their historic commercial property, where her mother once ran a medical practice. 'We're trying to get Fair Street back to what it used to be—living and working,' Colon explained. Farish St. Church school children marching on street during parade. (Jackson State University via ... More Getty Images) Their investment is deeply personal. Colon's mother had to use her own funds to renovate the building in the 1980s after banks refused to lend to a Black woman—even a physician. Aikisha Holly Colon is working to revitalize the once thriving Black business district, Farish ... More Street in Jackson, MS. 'Most of us as Black people aren't heirs to anything. We usually inherit debt. But I want my children and grandchildren to be able to say: We've been landowners since 1896,' Colon said. Today, the Jackson Redevelopment Authority is leading a multimillion-dollar revitalization of the 200 block of Farish Street, including a Black-owned grocery store, an upscale bistro, new greenspace, and the relocation of Marshall's Bookstore, the nation's oldest Black-owned bookstore. The vision: to restore Farish as a destination for culture, commerce, and community. Her journey was documented on the OWN reality series, The Belle Collective, which followed the hurdles Colon cleared to restore the legacy of the area. In the series, she's seen leading revitalization efforts by example. Alongside her husband and business partner, former NFL player Willie Colon, they are laying plans to expand their sports bar franchise, Bricks and Hops on to Farish Street. It will be among some of the few businesses, let alone Black-owned, in the area. Colon says it's her mission to ensure it will be the first of many. 'I believe in the future and promise of Farish Street," Colon said. "What once was can happen again--we just have to stay steadfast and act as our ancestors did. Lean on each other.' Reclaiming Tulsa's Future Similar to Colon, Monday is reimagining community development through her organization, Block Builderz. A formerly incarcerated organizer, Monday says her work is rooted in ancestral fire. 'My grandfather had a boarding house on Greenwood. He helped rebuild after the massacre,' she shared. 'I came to Tulsa not knowing that, but I was pulled back by legacy.' She continued that legacy by building a transition home of her own for formerly incarcerated women. Her journey was featured on the OWN docuseries, Rebuilding Black Wall Street. Her approach is as practical as it is revolutionary. 'We're using abandoned lots to create gardens that feed our neighbors. One garden fed 100 people. That's what rebuilding looks like—believing in Black self-determination,' Monday said. While grant funding remains unpredictable, she's focused on grassroots support. 'People closest to the problem are closest to the solution, but farthest from the resources.' Restoring More Than Buildings Together, these women are not just reclaiming physical space—they're restoring historical memory and reshaping futures. Whether through preserving family land, mentoring justice-impacted youth, or creating third spaces for cultural belonging, they're rewriting what the American dream looks like—for themselves and for generations to come. 'In the end, this is about legacy,' Frazier said. 'Not just mine—but all of ours.'
Chicago Tribune
02-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: White mobs attacked Black residents in East St. Louis riots
Today is Wednesday, July 2, the 183rd day of 2024. There are 182 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On July 2, 1917, rioting erupted in East St. Louis, Illinois, as white mobs attacked Black residents; at least 50 and as many as 200 people, most of them Black, are believed to have died in the violence. Column: Let's not forget: Chicago had a 'Black Wall Street' tooAlso on this date: In 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution saying that 'these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.' In 1881, President James A. Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau (gee-TOH') at the Washington railroad station; Garfield died the following September. (Guiteau was hanged in June 1882.) In 1937, aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight along the equator. In 1962, the first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law a sweeping civil rights bill passed by Congress prohibiting discrimination and segregation based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin. In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gregg v. Georgia, ruled 7-2 that the death penalty was not inherently cruel or unusual. In 1979, the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin was released to the public. In 1986, ruling in a pair of cases, the Supreme Court upheld affirmative action as a remedy for past job discrimination. In 1990, more than 1,400 Muslim pilgrims were killed in a stampede inside a pedestrian tunnel near Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In 2002, Steve Fossett became the first person to complete a solo circumnavigation of the world nonstop in a balloon. In 2018, rescue divers in Thailand found alive 12 boys and their soccer coach, who had been trapped by flooding as they explored a cave more than a week earlier. In 2020, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire on charges that she had helped lure at least three girls – one as young as 14 – to be sexually abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. (Maxwell would be convicted on five of six counts.) In 2022, the police chief for the Uvalde, Texas, school district stepped down from his City Council seat amid criticism of his response to the mass shooting at an Uvalde elementary school in which 19 students and two teachers were slain on May 24 of that year. Today's Birthdays: Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos is 96. Actor Polly Holliday is 88. Racing Hall of Famer Richard Petty is 88. Former White House chief of staff and former New Hampshire governor John H. Sununu is 86. Writer-director-comedian Larry David is 78. Rock musician Roy Bittan (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) is 76. Actor Wendy Schaal is 71. Actor-model Jerry Hall is 69. Former baseball player Jose Canseco is 61. Race car driver Sam Hornish Jr. is 46. Former NHL center Joe Thornton is 46. Singer Michelle Branch is 42. Actor Vanessa Lee Chester is 41. Retired figure skater Johnny Weir is 41. Actor-singer Ashley Tisdale is 40. Actor Lindsay Lohan (LOH'-uhn) is 39. Former professional soccer player Alex Morgan is 36. Actor Margot Robbie is 35. Singer-rapper Saweetie is 32. U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist Ryan Murphy is 30.
CBS News
22-06-2025
- CBS News
Shooting at Juneteenth festival in Tulsa leaves 1 dead, 7 injured
Gunfire broke out at a Juneteenth celebration Saturday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing one person and wounding seven others, according to police and the organizers of the event. No arrests have been made. The 2025 Tulsa Juneteenth Festival took place in the city's Greenwood district, historically home to the affluent community known as "Black Wall Street" and, now, part of the Oklahoma State University campus. It consisted of a series of programs held over multiple days, with a runway show scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. local time Saturday evening. A national holiday observed on June 19 each year, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and celebrations around the country tend to be weeklong. Officers working at the Tulsa festival heard gunshots at around 11 p.m. Saturday, while the event was still busy, the Tulsa Police Department said, adding that "chaos erupted as people began running in multiple directions." A 22-year-old man was killed in the shooting, according to the police department. Seven others were injured, including a 17-year-old and an elderly woman. Police said all were taken to local hospitals for treatment. At least one 24-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition early Sunday morning, according to police. Police responded to a shooting that broke out during a busy Juneteenth celebration near downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday night. Tulsa Police Department/Facebook Neither the victim nor any of the injured people have been named publicly. Police said they believe at least two different shooters are responsible, but no arrests have been made, and their intended targets were unclear. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was assisting Tulsa police in what the department called "a very active investigation." The organizers of the Juneteenth festival acknowledged there had been a shooting in a statement released late Saturday night. "We have been made aware of a shooting that occurred this evening during the Tulsa Juneteenth Festival. Our on-site security and medical teams responded immediately, and we remain in close communication with the first responders," they said in the statement. "We are actively cooperating with the Tulsa Police Department and other law enforcement agencies as the investigation continues. Our of respect for those impacted, all programming is currently canceled. Please keep our community in your prayers. We will share additional updates as more information becomes available." CBS News contacted Tulsa police for additional comments.
Fox News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Tulsa's mayor has a $105M plan to help descendants of the 1921 race massacre, but don't call it reparations
Tulsa's mayor is pushing for a $105 million private trust to give descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre housing help and scholarships in a plan that has garnered support across party lines. "No matter what part of town you live in, no matter what you look like, no matter your family's history here, we all need to come together to mitigate this harm," Monroe Nichols, the first Black mayor of Oklahoma's second-largest city, told Fox News Digital this week. The massacre, believed to be one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history, occurred on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when a White mob descended on Greenwood, a prosperous neighborhood of Tulsa also known as Black Wall Street. More than 1,000 homes, churches and businesses were looted and burned, and the district was largely destroyed. Historians estimate as many as 300 people were killed, but with many of the victims buried in unmarked graves, it's difficult to reach a precise count. Greenwood residents filed more than $1.8 million in claims against the city of Tulsa in the aftermath, according to a 2021 state report, worth around $30 million in today's dollars. The city blocked all of the claims except one, from a White shop owner, according to the report. Nichols first announced his "Road to Repair" plan at the beginning of the month. It calls for the creation of a charitable trust with a goal of securing $105 million in assets. Nichols hopes to have most of that funding secured or committed by June 1, 2026, and said he's going to kick off a national fundraising campaign. Details would be hashed out over the next year between an executive director and board of trustees, but the initial plan calls for $60 million of the trust to go toward revitalizing buildings and community improvements. The rest would help descendants buy homes or land, and fund scholarships. Cash payments to descendants of the massacre or the last two survivors are not included in the plan. While the plan has been described by some as a form of reparations, Nichols adamantly avoids using that word himself. "'Reparations' means different things to different people, and it's really become a politically charged word," said Nichols, who formerly served as a Democratic state representative in Oklahoma. "I never want something like a word to get in the way of the work that we need to do." The private nature has garnered support from local Republicans, a demographic traditionally opposed to reparations. "We commend Mayor Nichols for adopting a conservative approach by establishing the Greenwood Trust as a private charitable entity rather than relying on taxpayer dollars," the Tulsa Republican Club said last week in a statement. "By encouraging private support and donations, this initiative aligns with the principle that communities are best served when they take charge of their own future through collaboration and voluntary contributions." Nichols said he isn't aware of any other cities taking a privately funded approach to this issue, and hopes it can serve as a model for other communities. "It came, really, in a discussion of like, how do we actually get this done without the typical divisions when it comes to this kind of stuff?" he said. He added he wants to ensure it passes any "legal test." Evanston, Illinois, made history in 2019 as the first city in the nation to create a government-funded reparations program, pledging to give $25,000 to qualifying Black residents and descendants of residents to atone for past housing discrimination. That program is funded by a tax on recreational cannabis. While the funding sources differ, Nichols said Evanston's focus on housing laid some of the foundation for Tulsa's plan. "Most of us, if you have any wealth, it's in land and property," he said. "So the idea is that wealth was stolen from descendants. How can we restore that on some level?" In addition to the trust, the "Road to Repair" continues the investigation into mass graves in an effort to "bring closure to families" who may not yet know for certain the fate of their ancestors, Nichols said. The city has also released 45,000 pages of documents relating to the massacre. Some of the documents included discussions about restoring the Greenwood District and promises that were never delivered on, Monroe said. Now, 104 years later, the city is looking to move past conversation and act. "Descendants who for so long have not necessarily been given their due, now have an opportunity for that to happen," he said.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tyler Perry Slams Erasure Of Black History In Politically Charged BET Speech
Tyler Perry wasted no time tearing into Trump's administration and the divisive state of America during the BET Awards Monday night. After sharing a brief story about his son, the billionaire media mogul launched into an impassioned State of the Union-esque address to condemn what has been happening in the country as of late — specifically with the erasure of Black history. 'I want you to pay attention to— don't miss this,' he began onstage. 'They are removing our books from libraries. They are removing our stories and our history. They are removing our names from government buildings as if someone wants to erase our footprints.' 'Because what we need to understand is that if our children don't know our history, they won't know our power,' Perry added. The filmmaker pointed his message to Black viewers, telling them, 'The truth of the matter [is], it's impossible to erase our footprints, because we left them on water. What I mean by that is, we were snatched from our homeland, bought across the ocean and left footprints all the way to America.' Perry continued his history lesson, nodding to the sanitation of African American history in museums and calling out American tragedies like the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, where several businesses were famously burned down on Oklahoma's Black Wall Street in an effort to destroy the thriving community. 'So, this is not the time to be silent,' Perry continued to the audience. 'This is not the time to give up. This is the time to dig in and keep leaving footprints everywhere you go.' He even took a moment to brag about how he's 'made more Black millionaires than any studio in this city combined.' 'Because I'm making footprints,' he added. Perry concluded his powerful speech, saying, 'So I don't care if you're struggling, if you're trying to make it, if you're trying to build a business. If you have a dream, keep making footprints. Don't let anybody stop you. You can do it.' Perry isn't the only star who took hold of the BET Awards spotlight to deliver a politically charged message. Doechii, who won Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, used her acceptance speech to blast the 'ruthless attacks' from Trump's administration after it deployed military forces on Los Angeles protests over the weekend over immigration raids. 'Trump is using military forces to stop a protest,' she said. 'And I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic rights to protest, the military is deployed against us.' 'I feel it's my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people,' the rapper added. 'For Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people of Gaza, we all deserve to live in hope and not in fear, and I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate. And we protest against it.' Doechii Blasts Trump's 'Ruthless' Deployment Of Military Against Protesters In BET Awards Speech Kevin Hart Jokes About Diddy Without Even Saying His Name The Complete List Of 2025 BET Awards Winners
