A lawsuit accuses leaders of continuing to enrich themselves at the expense of the Black community in Tulsa

Black entrepreneurs say they have been reduced to renters in the historic Greenwood district, an area of Tulsa, so prosperous, it was once known as Black Wall Street.

Over a hundred years ago, African Americans owned land and built a thriving business community in Greenwood. But in 1921, white Tulsans unleashed a wave of violence on the residents and business owners in the area, callously murdering scores of Black people and destroying what was viewed as a symbol of Black success.

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In more recent times, after a career in sports consulting, Guy Troupe, 54, returned to his hometown with plans to open a coffee shop in Greenwood. He envisioned his new business as a gathering place for Black business owners who would resurrect Black Wall Street.

But that didn’t happen.

Although new businesses have sprung up all around the Greenwood district, they’re mainly white-owned.

According to The Washington Post, millions of dollars in financial incentives have been spent to revitalize the district ahead of an anticipated influx of tourists for this year’s centennial of the 1921 massacre, and Black entrepreneurs say they are being shut out of Greenwood’s development projects and priced out of prime retail locations.

Source: Tulsa’s Black Wall Street being redeveloped by white companies