Today, I’m honoured to host Author, Nonnie Jules, the founder a president of two international literary communities: Rave Reviews Book Club and Rave Writers International Society of Authors. Nonnie is touring with her new book, “No Pedigree”, a short story that you won’t soon forget! Take it away, Nonnie!
Hi, and thanks for dropping in on Day 2 of my NO PEDIGREE blog tour! I’m so grateful to John for sharing his space with me today as I share a little of a historical topic that I mentioned in the book. Since John is a historian, I could think of no better place to share this.
WHY REFERENCING THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE WAS IMPORTANT IN “NO PEDIGREE”
In the 1st chapter of NO PEDIGREE, I reference a historical event now known as the TULSA RACE MASSACRE (also known as Tulsa Race Riot, Greenwood Massacre or the Black Wall Street Massacre).
To give readers a bit of clarity as to how strongly my main character, Baylee, felt about her new environment, I had to reference an event that would lend credibility to those feelings. Although I didn’t go past a mere mention of the event, I felt that if readers were as curious as I am when I happen upon such references, they would do their own research. For you, here’s the back story…
On May 31st and June 1st, a mob of white residents of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, OK, attacked a group of black residents and businesses. The massacre, which began over Memorial Day weekend in 1921, stemmed from the arrest of 19-yr-old Dick Rowland, a black shoe shiner, accused of assaulting 17-yr-old Sarah Page, a white elevator operator in the Drexel Building on May 30th.
Rowland was well-known among attorneys and other legal professionals within the city because of his profession as a shoe shiner. Some witnesses later recounted hearing several attorneys defend Rowland in their conversations with one another. One of the men was quoted as saying, “Why, I know that boy, and have known him a good while. That’s not in him.”
While Rowland was in custody, a group of angry whites gathered outside the courthouse, where he had been moved for his safety. Rumors quickly spread throughout the black community that he had been lynched, prompting some members of the black community to swarm the area outside the courthouse, weapons in hand. Shots rang out and, in the end, 12 were killed – 10 whites and 2 blacks.
That night and the next morning, mobs of angry whites rushed through the black neighborhoods killing men and burning and looting homes and businesses. This attack was carried out from the ground and via private aircraft, destroying over 35 blocks in that district, which at the time was the wealthiest black community in the U.S. – also known to many as the “Black Wall Street.”
It wasn’t until around noon the next day that the troops from the Oklahoma National Guard were able to get control of the situation by declaring martial law. But, in that short span of time, in less than 24 hours, 10,000 black people were left homeless and property damage was listed at more than $1.5 million in real estate and $750,000 in personal property. (Equivalent to $32.25 million in 2019).
Many of the survivors of that massacre (not sure if this would have been more blacks or more whites or a mix of both) left Tulsa. Black and white residents who remained, never spoke of this horrid event and it was largely omitted from local, state and national histories.
The charges against Dick Rowland were dismissed at the end of September 1921. Once he was exonerated, he immediately left Tulsa, moving to Kansas. Little else is publicly known about the remainder of his life.
Seventy-five years after the massacre (in 1996), a bipartisan group in the state legislature authorized the formation of the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 (later renamed in November of 2018, the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Massacre), established to specifically investigate events, interview survivors, hear testimony from the public and prepare a report of events. Through this process, the group also aimed to educate the public about the event.
In 2001, the Commission published its findings which stated that the city had conspired with the mob of white citizens against black citizens. The report also recommended reparations to the survivors and their descendants. The state passed legislation to establish scholarships for descendants of survivors, encourage the economic development of Greenwood and develop a memorial park in Tulsa to honor the massacre victims. The park was dedicated in October of 2010 and named the JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN RECONCILIATION Park, in honor of one of the survivors who became a leading scholar of black history. John Franklin died shortly after the dedication of the park.
“We can tell the nation the story of a whole community decimated by hate but rebuilt by a community full of hope,” Tulsa Mayor, Dewey Bartlett said.
Since I am a lover of history myself, I could spend days on John’s blog going on and on about this event, but, I won’t (because I’m pretty sure eventually he’d kick me off). I referenced this event in NO PEDIGREE because I wanted readers to know the atmosphere that Baylee was in – an atmosphere that hadn’t changed much in over 90 years.
I’d like to end this post by sharing that just recently (in 2020) the massacre became part of the Oklahoma school curriculum!
Thanks for spending time here with me today, and John, I have no words to thank you for allowing me this time. My little THANK YOU will have to suffice.
Sources: Wikipedia and TulsaWorld.com
BOOK BLURB…
Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, Baylee never quite fit in… anywhere. She was taunted and teased because her clothes had no designer labels, and spit upon because her only pair of shoes had holes in the bottom. The butt of many jokes, she was excluded from all social activities, sneered at by the parents of her peers after school as she waited for the bus, watching them drive away in their fancy cars; assaulted in the most unthinkable fashion.
Having been born to a white father and a black native American mother didn’t make things any easier. In fact, that circumstance made her life ten times harder – until the day she made them all stand up, take notice, and regret every ugly word and deed they had inflicted upon her.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Hi, I’m Nonnie Jules – President & Founder of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB {RRBC} and RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS {RWISA}. As a writer who values the (polished) written word, it is my mission to help my fellow authors understand that their reputations as writers should be treated as rare treasure and that the only way to be taken seriously in this business, is to ensure that your writing (no matter the forum) is impeccably written and well-edited. If not, you’re just another “Joe” with a pen who was the first to raise his hand when Amazon asked, “Hey, any old Joe out there wanna publish a book? Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be good and there’s absolutely no hard work involved.”
FYI: If you don’t care what you put out into the world, you’re just a laughingstock in the literary community … and your name is “Joe.”
***
Connect with Nonnie via Twitter: @nonniejules
To purchase your own copy of NO PEDIGREE, https://www.amazon.com/NO-PEDIGREE-Really-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B083SB1RMN/
To learn more about Nonnie and how to connect with her, please drop in on her RRBC Author Page!
***
GIVEAWAYS: (2) e-book copies of NO PEDIGREE, (2) $5 Amazon gift cards & (1) 3-Day Weekend blog tour! You must leave a comment on this page and also the author’s 4WillsPub author page to be entered into the drawing.
***
To follow along with the rest of the NO PEDIGREE blog tour, visit the author’s tour page.
If you’d like to schedule your own 4WillsPub tour to promote your books in a similar fashion, click HERE.
Fiora Books by John Fioravanti 
Stories like this just break my heart. I’ve heard far too many similar stories being from Alabama. I’ll never be able to understand the thoughts behind evil doings. Thank you for sharing with us, Nonnie. And thank you, John, for hosting.
LikeLike
Stories like these are heart-breaking, that’s why it is up to us, ALL OF US, to stand up when we see things like this happening right under our noses.
Thanks, Mar!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my goodness. I know a little bit about this Wall Street Massacre. I started to wonder if my family had some connection to it since my mother’s parents came from Tulsa and they were educators. They both died too early to leave anything for my mother. What little money was left, her aunt got when they took her from the only home she had known since being left an orphan.
Nonnie, thank you so much for sharing this. I plan on doing some more research of my own. Thank you John for hosting our President.
LikeLike
The real Shirley Harris-Slaughter just arrived! Hahaha! Thanks, Shirley! I too am doing more research into this bit of “lost” history.
LikeLike
Hi, Nonnie, I’m sorry I’m late. This was an interesting post! I was not familiar with the event prior to reading about it in your book, and I enjoyed the information you gave us here.
Thanks so much for hosting, John. It’s always a pleasure to visit your blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Rhani, it is good to see you here. Thanks for supporting Nonnie!
LikeLike
Thanks for dropping in, Rhani 🙂
LikeLike
It amazes me it took almost 100 years to start teaching about this. Your story offered an insight into this type of thinking. I have a hard time understanding how people can justify such hatred. Thank you for sharing this information, history is so important.
Thanks for hosting, John:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, history is important, Denise! Thanks for stopping by to support Nonnie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
History is important – it’s awesome, too! Thanks for dropping in, Denise!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It amazes me it took almost 100 years to start teaching about this. Your story offered an insight into this type of thinking. I have a hard time understanding how people can justify such hatred. Thank you for sharing this information, history is so important.
Thanks for hosting, John:)
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing that history, Nonnie! Hate is such a destructive emotion. My heart hurts for all those families who lost so many and so much. It wasn’t enough, but I’m happy the local government acknowledged their wrongdoings and found a way to try to help those left behind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Yvette, for stopping by to support Nonnie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tragic can’t even begin to describe how those poor families must have felt. I mean, slavery was behind us then but the mentally lived on. So very sad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing this tragic piece of history, John. I saw that reference when I read the book but wasn’t familiar with these riots. I could easily contextualize this story due to several similar historical events in my own country so that wasn’t a challenge for me at all. I very good book and very insightful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think most nations have dark events in their past that they would rather not shine the light upon. Thanks for stopping by and supporting Nonnie, Robbie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t even know about this bit of history, Robbie, until I started writing the book. So thankful that I did some research.
Thanks for hosting me and thanks for the support!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, John for hosting Nonnie’s blog tour.
LikeLike
Thanks for stopping by to support Nonnie, Miriam!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome, John.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The referencing of history is so pertinent in understanding your book, Nonnie.
Los Angeles had its share in the 1992 riot when the four police officers were acquitted in the arrest and beating of Rodney King, 63 people were killed, 2,383 people were injured, more than 12,000 were arrested, and estimates of property damage were over $1 billion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember the Rodney King story very well, Miriam. That was a sad one, too.
Thanks for dropping in, Miriam! I appreciate your support!
LikeLike
I remember the mention of that event in your book, Nonnie, and I am happy to read more about it. If things have not changed much in Tulsa during the time Baylee lived there, I can understand. Things haven’t changed much even now. Racism seems to be the fabric on which this country is built. Look at what is happening in this country now…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad that mere mention of this event stood out to you in NO PEDIGREE, Joy. I’m also glad that I dug a little deeper into it for this post.
Thanks for your support, Joy!
LikeLike
Certainly racism and hate are alive and well these days. Racists were taught to hate. We need to break that cycle. Thanks for supporting Nonnie, Joy!
LikeLike
This is a piece of American history I never read about growing up. It’s another sad commentary on US race relations and to think it took until this year for Oklahoma to finally include this historical event in its school curriculum.
Appreciate your sharing this history with us, Nonnie.
Thanks to our super host, John for hosting Nonnie today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is good that Nonnie took the time to teach us about some important things today. Thanks for supporting Nonnie, Peggy!
LikeLike
Hi, Peggy! I’d never heard of it, either, but, I’m glad that I had the opportunity to bring attention to it. A story that needs to be told. It surely took them a looooooooooooooooong while to get it in their history books, though.
Thanks for dropping by!
LikeLike
Human behavior – especially hatred and racism -(fanned by fanatics and opportunists) has bewildered many but it remains entrenched in bones and flows into blood from one generation to another. This post has stirred many memories but keeping in view the recent riots in New Delhi, it seems nothing has changed. No lessons learnt from 1984 Delhi riots! Human emotions can be easily manipulated by monsters of power.
Thank you for sharing this soul-wrenching historical event Nonnie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Although the fear response is part of our human nature, hatred and racism are learned. Therein lies the key to its elimination. Thanks for supporting Nonnie today, Balroop!
LikeLike
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Balroop.
Thanks for the support!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my goodness, Nonnie! That is a piece of history I was not at all familiar with. I’ll never understand how so-called human beings can be so cruel to others because they may be different from them, regardless of whether it’s race, religion, mental capacity, sexual preference, etc. We live in a crazy world! Thank you for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, Jan – discrimination is ugly business. Thanks for stopping by to support Nonnie, today!
LikeLike
Our world gets crazier every day, Jan.
Thanks for dropping in and taking the time to read and review NO PEDIGREE!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on MarethMB and commented:
Elsewhere on my blog, you will read my review for this amazing short story – a new release – Nonnie Jules, our Rave Reviews Book Club President. The second day blog hop for Nonnie’s blog tour is hosted by John Fioravanti.
I enjoyed this post in particular because Nonnie gives a very inciteful glimpse into the 1920 history of Tulsa where a black man, Dick Rowland, was falsely accused of raping a young white female. What followed was shocking, and in her background story, Nonnie refers to this event, which immediately gives that extra believability to fiction – so vital to make the story alive. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this part of the blog hop as much as I did. And looking to the first day hosted by Miriam Hurdle, I’m sure we’ll be in for a treat! So enjoy the blog hops and the short story!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your insights and your support for Nonnie today, Maretha. Thanks too for the reblog!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a pleasure. Kind regards, John. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you too, John, for hosting our president, Nonnie Jules, on your blog today. I got so intrigued about Nonnie’s interesting historical glimpses into the history of Tulsa, that I forgot to thank you for being a fabulous host. All the best and kind regards.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Nonnie! If only people would learn from the past, but they seldom do. I enjoyed the facts about the Tulsa massacres, but thinking about the aftermath – how many lives were destroyed forever, and Dick Rowland, just doing his job being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but you showed clearly how this kind of racism and hatred lead to shocking atrocities, as was the case with Baylee. She was strong enough to find justice and a new life, but in reality, I keep thinking how many people never do? I hope you have a most successful blog hop this week. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, Maretha. You’d think that by now, in the year 2020, we would not still be talking about racism…yet, we are.
Thanks for your support!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes I’m convinced that people really outdo elephants – the way they’re said to have long memories, except elephants seem to have such amazing powers for the good of their herd – not something to be said about our human race. We don’t learn much – just as if we first have to lose our righthand to understand what we lost – can’t be satisfied with learning from others’ mistakes, and improving the future. As I’ve mentioned in my review, Nonnie, the characters of “No Pedigree” are staying in my head!
LikeLike
I only learned about ‘Black Wall St’ last year via Shirley H Slaughter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wendy, I’d heard of it but I didn’t really know that it was a real “thing.” I guess it’s true – we do learn something new each day, don’t we?
Thanks for dropping by!
LikeLike
Thanks for supporting Nonnie today, Wendy.
LikeLike
This information was accidentally left out of John’s host info so until he posts it into his blog later today, I want to leave it here so that no one gets left out of the drawing:
GIVEAWAYS: (2) e-book copies of NO PEDIGREE, (2) $5 Amazon gift cards & (1) 3-Day Weekend blog tour! You must leave a comment on this page and also the author’s 4WillsPub author page to be entered into the drawing. https://4willspublishing.wordpress.com/welcome-to-the-no-pedigree-blog-tour-nonniejules-rrbc-rwisa-rrbc_community/
Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
John, thanks so much for having me today! You’re the most awesome John I know!
LikeLike
Lol! You’re most welcome. I hope you enjoy your day here at Fiora Books!
LikeLike