2021 marked the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre - a horrific attack white people waged against Greenwood, a once prosperous Black neighborhood in north Tulsa, Oklahoma. Also in 2021, state legislators passed a law that limits how race is discussed in classrooms.

  Tulsa activists say HB 1775 prevents descendants of those who built Greenwood from being able to acknowledge the attack, and also Greenwood’s success. In response, activist Kristi Williams rallied her community to start Black History Saturdays, where 120 Black Tulsans are using an intergenerational model to learn their history.

Learn more about the story and find the transcript on radioproject.org. Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

EPISODE FEATURES: This episode features Kristi Williams, a Tulsa activist and Founder of Black History Saturdays, Bracken Klar, Co-Executive Producer of Focus: Black Oklahoma, Vice-President of Tulsa's Tri-City Collective, and Carlos Moreno, a member of Tulsa's Tri-City Collective, journalist and author of The Victory of Greenwood and A Kid's Book About the Tulsa Race Massacre. 

MAKING CONTACT: This episode is hosted by Amy Gastelum. It is produced by Anita Johnson, Lucy Kang, Salima Hamirani, and Amy Gastelum. Our executive director is Jina Chung. MUSIC: This episode includes music from Blue Dot Sessions, including “Krotoa Haze,” “Cheldana Outpost,” and “Helion Fleet.” 

Learn More: 

• Black History Saturdays
• EduRec Youth and Family Fun Center
• 2892 Miles to Go
• Black Emergency Response Team Vs. O'Conner