No small affair
Tulsa's Juneteenth celebration has attracted eyes of nation
TULSA — What initially was planned as a relatively small Juneteenth celebration has evolved into the exact opposite here in the historic Greenwood District.
President Donald Trump's campaign rally down the road at the BOK Center — originally scheduled for the Juneteenth holiday — sparked a wave of national interest in Tulsa's annual gathering.
So much so that the community Juneteenth observance has attracted the eyes of the nation as civil rights leaders, sports celebrities and recording artists prepare to join in the local celebration. Many people were troubled that Trump and his mostly white followers planned a rally near the site of what was once the prosperous Black community known as Black Wall Street. It was burned down in 1921 when white mobs killed hundreds of Black Tulsans during what became known as the Tulsa Race Massacre.
The "I, Too, Am America" Juneteenth celebration is set feature the Rev. Al Sharpton as keynote speaker, along with R& B group Lakeside Band and gospel recording artist LeAndrea Johnson. Organizers said Houston Rockets star point guard Russell Westbrook, formerly of the Oklahoma City Thunder, also will share words with the crowd via video.
Starr Fisher, owner of Starr Productions, said the usual organizers of the annual Juneteenth bash in Greenwood had not planned a large gathering because of the coronavirus.
She said her company decided to host a Black music celebration in the historic district, while still keeping in mind the social distancing recommendations related to COVID-19.
Then news of Trump's rally made headlines and Fisher began to get inundated with offers to help her create one of the best Juneteenth celebrations the Greenwood District has ever had.
"So my event started to snowball as I started getting calls from all over the
country — Iowa, Georgia, D.C. — from people saying they are standing with us," Fisher said.
She said when Tiffany Crutcher, founder of the Terence Crutcher Foundation, contacted her and wanted to partner on planning the celebration, it was a "no brainer" to collaborate with the activist whose twin brother Terence Crutcher was killed by a Tulsa police officer.
Thursday, crews worked to set up a stage in a large field near Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was the only Black- owned building on Greenwood Avenue
to survive the 1921 race massacre.
Inside the historic church, volunteers like Kathleen Johnson continued their efforts to feed the homeless and others who dropped in for a homecooked meal. Johnson said she realized that the Greenwood District was drawing more attention for this year's Juneteenth commemoration and she was glad about it.
"It's bringing attention to the race massacre and I think that attention is welcomed and it's what is needed," Johnson said.
Her pastor, the Rev. Robert Turner, spent the day conducting numerous media interviews and tours of the church.
He also said he welcomed the extra attention but believes the City of Tulsa should have made more of an effort to aid the Greenwood District.
"As a citizen of Tulsa, I'm thankful that the world is now being made aware of what happened but I'm troubled by the fact that the city has known about this literally since 1921 and has yet to do anything about it," he said.
"We should be on the thoughts and minds of the elected leaders in this city to give us justice that we have yet to receive from 1921. The amount of time we've been printed in the paper or been seen on TV still does not equate to us receiving justice for the worst race massacre in American history."
Meanwhile, Fisher said organizers will have masks that have been donated for attendees and hand sanitizer will also be given away to remind people that the coronavirus remains a concern.
A youth area that will include a petting zoo, board games and a DJ will be offered along with other entertainment.
"We wanted an activity to accentuate the positive," she said.