Events

Special showing of the documentary "Before They Die!"

Created by Douglass Alumni Association (See other events)
  • Feb 20, 2010 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm
  • Location: Downtown Metropolitan Library
  • Latest Activity: Sep 6, 2022
On Saturday, February 20, 2010, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, the Downtown Metropolitan Library will host a special showing of the documentary "Before They Die!", the compelling story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot and the survivors' continuing struggle for justice.Sponsored in part by Bruce Fisher, of The Oklahoma History Museum, the screening is brought to Oklahoma City by The Tulsa Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, and is free to the public.The documentary chronicles two days of violence and destruction in May 1921 that left the Greenwood district of Tulsa -- known as The Black Wall Street -- in total ruins, with an estimated 300 people dead, 10,000 homeless, and 35 blocks of a prosperous black business community destroyed. The spark that led to what has been called the worst racial violence in this nation's history is unclear, but is said to have been caused by an innocuous incident between a 17-year-old white elevator operator and a 19-year-old black shoe shiner. The young man was arrested and a mob of whites stormed the courthouse. Blacks gathered, fearing for the black youth's life. There was a tussle over a gun, and a shooting. White rioters stormed the Greenwood neighborhood, shooting residents, looting homes and burning them to the ground. Not a building was left standing.No one was ever punished for the vandalism or the destruction of human lives and property. Families were never compensated for what happened. An initial official inquiry concluded nothing, and documents of the incident have since disappeared.Reginald Turner, a Los Angeles entertainment lawyer, and his cousin, Denise Clement, co-produced the documentary with encouragement from Harvard University Law Professor Charles Ogletree, who was representing the riot survivors in litigation seeking reparations. In 2002 when the legal battle for reparations began, there were 151 survivors. Today there are less than half of them still alive, and the youngest is 92 years old.Turner, a graduate of Stanford University and Georgetown University Law Center, has made it his mission to bring the story of the Tulsa race riot to the American public's attention. He has traveled throughout the country with his film, presenting it to civic organizations, state and national leaders, and at colleges and universities in an effort to raise awareness of this horrendous chapter in American history, and to raise money for the remaining survivors.For more information about "Before They Die!" go to www.beforetheydiemovie.com .
Tags: documentary
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