This week marked the 90th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot, one of the worst acts of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.
In a special video message, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, joined Rep. Tom Cole, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Native American Caucus, and Rep. Charles Gonzalez, Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, marked the occasion and called for a national dialogue on race and reconciliation.
CBC Chair Cleaver said:
A robust national education campaign on race relations and reconciliation is critically important to strengthening America. A nation divided along racial lines impedes America’s ability to be an effective world leader.
Cleaver added:
In keeping with the legacy of the late Dr. John Hope Franklin, America must take the necessary steps to acknowledge its racial history and embrace efforts to reconcile differences. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to explore the possibility of establishing a Congressional Civil Reconciliation Caucus and to work with community groups, colleges and universities, and corporations to address this issue head on.”
It’s Black Music Appreciation Month so I would like to commemorate the occasion with the Gap Band’s song, “You Dropped A Bomb on Me.”
The group’s name is short for Greenwood Avenue, and Archer and Pine streets that were the heart of the business district known as the “Black Wall Street.” The Gap Band’s hit was inspired by the riot.
