Mapping Historical Trauma in Tulsa

WHEREAS, Tulsa native Alicia Odewale, a Tulsa University professor of anthropology, is directing a project on behalf of the 1921-2021 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, mapping the historical trauma in Tulsa from 1921-2021; and 

WHEREAS, This project is bringing together digital mapping, collaborative archaeological excavation, exhibit development, and public presentations of research results, in order to create new, critical sites of memory for the United States to connect this dark moment to our shared historical legacies to the present day; and 

WHEREAS, Researching the memory of Tulsa's historically Black Greenwood District while highlighting the multitude of ongoing resurgence efforts on behalf of Tulsa's North Tulsa community references the investigation of the race massacre and reflects upon the spirit of Black Wall Street that has persevered; and 

WHEREAS, Professor Odewale has worked with Tulsa University graduate students to develop the Greenwood Centennial Resource Collection (GCRC), a public database with digitized archival material which has a centralized database from the university and state archives; and 

WHEREAS, The team compiled the information about 1921 and the decades that followed into one resource with links that utilize online tools which will assist with future research on Black history; and 

WHEREAS, Preserving and presenting regional Black history provides a significant opportunity for enhanced knowledge of the contributions of Black Americans across the nation. 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will support efforts to preserve regional representations of Black history such as the Tulsa Race Massacre and all other historical Centennial. 

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the NAACP will provide letters of endorsement to congressional appropriations committees to assist regional projects in obtaining federal funding where such projects present issues of historical significance.