In 1906, O.W. Gurley, a wealthy African-American from Arkansas, moved to Tulsa and purchased over 40 acres of land that he made sure was only sold to other African-Americans. This Greenwood district of Tulsa became known as Black Wall Street.

This “modern, majestic, sophisticated, and unapologetically black” community boasted of “banks, hotels, cafés, clothiers, movie theaters, and contemporary homes.” Not to mention luxuries, such as “indoor plumbing and a remarkable school system that superiorly educated black children.”

The average income of black families in the area exceeded “what minimum wage is today.” As a result of segregation, a “dollar circulated 36 to 100 times” and remained in Greenwood “almost a year before leaving.”

Why "New Black Wall Street"?

Well, I have had this project on my mind for a while now but procrastination is one of my strong attributes, and sometimes, life just be happening. In addition to that, blackwallstreet.com is currently owned and sitting as an empty site and has been since at least 2016 when I first had this idea. Its currently for sale for $72,000... Right....

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I say all that to say with the internet as vast as it is today, we have the ability to recreate Black Wall Street again. Not just in one small town, but on a worldwide scale. There are so many black owned businesses that fly under the radar because people just don't know where to look, so, here we are....

This is a work in progress and with the help of the community I am sure this can grow into something valuable to our community.
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