Born Jimmie Jones some time around 1902, location unknown, Jimmie, after being shuffled around as a young orphan would eventually rename himself Dick Rowland.
Finding his way in the world, he dropped out of high school after seeing how much money he was able to make shining shoes. The parlor he worked at was on Main Street in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, White-owned and patronized by wealthy White men.
During this time Jim Crow was in full effect. Due to these segregation laws the nearest “colored” restroom was on the top floor of the nearby Drexel building. On May 30, 1921, 19-year-old Rowland paused his work to make his way over to the aforementioned bathroom. The most commonly accepted version of what happened next is that upon entering the elevator, he tripped and reached out to hold onto something and catch himself.
What Rowland caught onto just so happened to be the arm of a 17-year-old White elevator operator named Sarah Page. She screamed, garnering the attention of a nearby shop owner who then called the police. When the elevator doors opened Rowland ran.
Unfortunately for Rowland, the store owner reported the incident as an attempted sexual assault. He was picked up by the police the following day. The Tulsa Tribune published an article the same afternoon with claims that Rowland had tried to assault Sarah Page. The Tribune also published another article titled “To Lynch Negro Tonight,” enraging White readers and sparking conversations about lynching.
(Pictured on the right is one of the articles that contributed to tensions in Tulsa. It appeared in the June 1, 1921 edition of the Tulsa Tribune.)
A mob comprised of hundreds of White men gathered outside of the courthouse demanding Dick Rowland be handed over to them. Their intent being to deliver “justice” and defend the honor of Sarah Page. Concerned about the safety of Dick Rowland roughly 75 armed black men arrived at the courthouse prepared to offer additional support to the officers on site. They were however turned away.
The two groups began to clash and being severely outnumbered the Black men began to retreat back to Greenwood.
The Greenwood District was an affluent community built by Black people made for Black people. It boasted churches, hotels, homes, grocery stores, doctors offices, restaurants, a library, etc. It was a thriving interdependent community commonly referred to as “Black Wall Street.” A safe-haven that had taken years to construct was completely obliterated in a matter of 18 hours after the mob of White men followed the Black men back to Greenwood.
The mob looted and set fires throughout the community, and beat and killed its residents. Martial law was declared and over 6,000 Black Tulsans were detained and held at the fairgrounds up to eight days following the events of June 1, 2021.
Once the smoke cleared 35 city blocks had been burned down, leaving 10,000 people without homes nor aid or reparation. Hundreds were injured, with the muddy Arkansas River and mass graves holding the dead. It is said the death toll, often estimated somewhere between 36 and 300, is gravely under reported. A once prosperous and promising realized dream, reduced to a charred memory.
During the chaos, Dick Rowland was quietly transported out of town by Willard McCullough, and his deputy Barney Cleaver, one of the first Black lawmen in Oklahoma, and was never again formally recorded in history. After everything was said and done, Sarah Page never pressed charges and the case was dropped in September of 1921.
Dropped.
After the erasure of years of Black toil and success, after the loss of status, and the possibility of generational wealth, the case was simply dropped.
Surviving victims are fighting for reparations to this day.
A native of Phoenix, Arizona Aundrea Sayrie is a firm believer in the power of words, faith and a strong spirit. Her greatest desire is to encourage those around her to discover and honor their truth, and to passionately live on purpose.
