Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma 1909

Letter to City Council August 7, 2013

Carlos Moreno
Aug 23, 2017 · 3 min read

Greenwood was destroyed three times. Once in 1921, again in 1970 under, “Tulsa Model Cities” when, as quoted by Mabel Little in the Tulsa Tribune April 11th 1970,

“You destroyed everything we had. I was here in it, and the people are suffering more now than they did then.”

and the third time has been happening over the last 10 years, as the Brady District has been gaining more ground, more prominence, while the Greenwood District has been all but erased — it’s boundaries currently being redrawn by the National & State historic register office, every proposal but a tiny shadow of its former self.

My father had to sit at the back of the bus.
Here, in Tulsa, a few years ago, I was spit upon and called names because of what I look like. So I’m here to say that the past didn’t go anywhere. It’s right here, and it’s right now.

In a facebook post this past May, local historian Jack Frank asked, “Where does this end?” regarding re-naming of our landmarks. The question is a valid one and and many on the other side of this discussion are asking the same thing. Do we change or erase our history because it was horrific? To that, I respond: It ends when North Tulsa is no longer recognized by the USDA as a food desert. It ends when the city builds a public transportation system that helps everyone have access to jobs and social services. It ends when we rebuild all of North Tulsa’s parks and pools. It ends when we’re no longer recognized by the US DOT as one of the 22 most dangerous cities in the nation for pedestrians, many of which are low-income families. It ends when minority business owners are welcomed in to downtown’s renaissance. It ends when the Planning Department has the staff and resources it needs to help build our neighborhoods, including the 36th St. North small area plan. It ends when Greenwood is on the Register of Historic Places, as they want to be, with the boundaries that they desire. It ends when I don’t have to worry about my daughter being treated in Tulsa like her father was, and like her grandfather was.

My question to the City Council is: Where does this begin? If you say that the name needs to remain, you MUST provide an alternative olive branch.

When you can’t feed your children, going to a concert at Guthrie Green, or going to the museum, or going to a ball game, or going to a fancy restaurant isn’t going to be your top priority. When you’ve been told for 90 years despite all your best efforts to define your own destiny over two failed attempts to build up, that you don’t belong, it’s hard to hear “Why aren’t you at the table?”

Compassion dictates change. A decade ago, young entrepreneurs who had big hearts for this city, worked to change it for the better. I want North Tulsa to be given that same chance. I want the Tulsa City Council and the leaders of this city to show compassion. If we don’t change this name, tell me what would be a good 1st step in healing this part of town?

Convince me.

I’m listening.

)

Written by

community volunteer & magic bean buyer. @cap_tulsa graphic designer, @codefortulsa captain, @techlahoma board, @NextCityOrg vanguard. opinions are my own.

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