Greenwood
Greenwood was a thriving freedom colony in Tulsa, Oklahoma—founded and built by Black Americans determined to create a life of dignity, independence, and prosperity. Known as “Black Wall Street,” it became one of the most successful African American business districts in the country by the early 20th century. The community’s success stood as a powerful symbol of Black economic freedom and self-determination in the face of systemic oppression. In 1921, that promise was violently attacked when a white mob destroyed Greenwood in one of the deadliest acts of racial violence in U.S. history. Yet even in the ashes, Greenwood remains a landscape of resilience—its memory rooted in the ongoing fight for justice and the unshakable spirit of a people who dared to build freedom into the land itself.
Listening Session Recap
Our Greenwood Team
Kristi Williams
- Greenwood Team Lead
- Local Historian/Descendent
- Community Organizer
- Founder, Black History Saturdays
- National Geographic Explorer
Featured Tree Stories
Greenwood Legacy Tree
The Greenwood Legacy Tree is one of Tulsa’s most important living witnesses to the past. Located in the Historic Greenwood District on the grounds of Carver Middle School, this American Elm tree has stood for over a century, weathering fire, ice, storms, disease, and even violence. We believe that, contrary…
The Beulahland Guardian Tree
THE BEULAHLAND GUARDIAN TREE At the edge of a sacred burial ground called Beulahland founded in 1891, a massive Cottonwood tree bore witness to the earliest days of Langston, the Oklahoma Land Runs, and even statehood in 1907. In this cemetery you can find town founders, freedmen, lawmen, cowboys, business…
The Creek Hanging Tree
Out of this list of 500, one of the oldest trees nominated as a centennial witness tree was the “Creek Hanging Tree” located on North Lawton Avenue in Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. This twisted bur oak tree that stands at least 6 stories tall has been estimated to be 235 years…
The Heritage Trees at Standpipe Hill
Most people in the U.S. use the term “witness tree” to describe centuries old trees rooted in battlefield sites related to Revolutionary War or Civil War era landscapes such as the infamous Valley Forge “Pawling Sycamore” Tree. But our team at the Black Heritage Tree Project uses the term witness…
The Langston Gateway Tree
THE LANGSTON GATEWAY TREE At the old entrance gates to Langston University, a towering American Elm may predate the University’s 1897 founding—marking the gateway of not only the entrance to Langston University but also the town of Langston City, OK (founded by the Godfather of the Black Town Movement E….
The Locust Grove Tree
TRIGGER WARNING In the dense, green thickets of Locust Grove, Oklahoma, there stands a tree that once held a terrible truth. Locust Grove was home to Camp Scott, a summer retreat where Girl Scouts from across the region came each year to learn, explore, and sleep under the stars. But…
The Melvin Tolson Tree
THE MELVIN TOLSON TREE Beside the home of poet, professor, and civil rights leader Melvin B. Tolson—stands a resilient Hackberry tree. Tolson made history in 1935 when he led the @wileycollege1873 College debate team over 15 years losing only 1 out of 75 debates (including USC and Harvard). His legacy was later…
The Oaklawn Tree
For generations, oral histories in Greenwood told us the truth: many of the people murdered during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre were buried in mass graves…and the largest of which was located beneath an oak tree in Oaklawn Cemetery. That story led us here. Beneath an old oak tree standing…
Photo Gallery
