https://tulsahistory.org/exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre/

#TulsaRaceMassacre #Tulsa1921 #1921TulsaRaceMassacre #BlackWallStreet #GreenwoodDistrict #TulsaHistory #GreenwoodStrong #NeverForget #BuildItBack #BlackHistory #OnThisDay #AmericanHistory #Oklahoma

Today in Labor History May 31, 1921: The Tulsa Race Riot. From May 31 through June 1, deputized whites (i.e., racist vigilantes) killed more than 300 African Americans in the worst race riot in U.S. history. The violence began in response to a false report in the Tulsa Tribune accusing a black man of attacking a white girl in an elevator. The headline made the front page. However, there was an accompanying editorial that called for a lynching. White Tulsans went to the African American community of Greenwood (the Black Wall Street) and started shooting black people. They looted and burned 40 square blocks, destroying over 1,400 African American homes, hospitals, schools, and churches. Ten thousand became homeless and had to spend the winter of 1921 living in tents.

Many African American residents fought back, including veterans of World War One. This attempt at self-preservation prompted the deputized whites and National Guardsmen to arrest 6,000 black residents. Furthermore, they bombarded the community from the air in what was likely the first aerial bombardment of mainland U.S. residents. At least a dozen planes, some carrying police, circled the community and dropped burning balls of turpentine. They also shot at residents from the air. Many of the whites were members of the Klan, such as W. Tate Brady, who had also participated in the tarring and feathering of members of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1917.

Just a few months later, the government again bombarded civilians from the air, during the Battle of Blair Mountain, when 15,000 coal miners battled 3,000 cops, private cops and vigilantes, in the largest insurrection since the Civil War. Up to 100 miners died in the fighting, along with 10-30 Baldwin-Felts detectives and three national guards.

You can read my full article on the Battle of Blair Mountain here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/14/the-battle-of-blair-mountain/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #tulsa #massacre #riot #racism #pogrom #IWW #police #policebrutality #massacre #greenwood #BlackWallStreet #kkk #klan #kukluxklan #blairmountain #miner #coal #union #strike #BlackMastodon

The Game says he tried to sign Kendrick Lamar

Key Points

• The Game says he wanted Kendrick on Black Wall Street. He spoke about talks with Top Dawg then.

• Kendrick Lamar later rose with TDE and critical acclaim. The Game frames his memory as early recognition.

• Online reaction to the interview shows mixed responses. Some TDE affiliates disputed parts of his account.

The Game (Jayceon Taylor) tells Big Boy he tried to sign Kendrick Lamar (Kendrick Lamar Duckworth). He says he spoke with Top Dawg about adding Kendrick to Black Wall Street.

The claim comes during a wider week of rap news and chat. See Porsha Williams goes public for recent celebrity coverage.

Kendrick was already rising within Top Dawg’s circle at that time. The Game says he saw Kendrick’s talent early on.

Claim and response

Some TDE members later publicly disputed The Game’s account online today. Fans shared screenshots and replies across social platforms widely overnight.

The Game also recalled helping Jay Rock and visiting Top Dawg’s house. Related celebrity coverage includes Burna Boy’s sister Nissi calling a viral claim fake.

The Game’s statement adds new detail to his long public memory. He mentions specific meetings and tour moments with young artists.

Music writers note that many rappers recall early talent recognition for Kendrick. Those accounts often point to Top Dawg’s early role and patience.

The Game’s claim has no new documents to prove a formal offer. Top Dawg and TDE have not released statements beyond social replies.

Direct quotes from the Big Boy chat show The Game’s view plainly. He repeats memory lines about Dot and early Compton meetings.

This episode adds another thread to ongoing hip hop conversations online. Readers should weigh personal claims against multiple verified sources carefully.

The Game’s past label moves show mixed outcomes for signees. Industry insiders say managing artists requires steady funding and guidance.

Kendrick’s rise to stardom with TDE proved widely successful and historic. His albums drew awards and sales across the world rapidly.

For now, Top Dawg’s circle remains the main source on early deals. The Game’s claim adds colour but needs more proof to confirm.

ValidUpdates will watch for further statements from The Game or TDE. Readers can follow updates on this page as new facts appear.

#blackWallStreet #hipHop #kendrickLamar #musicNews #tde #theGame #topDawg #validupdates

¡A juicio! 🚨 José Ernesto Rivera es vinculado a proceso por el caso Black Wallstreet Capital. Infórmate sobre esta noticia en el artículo. #BlackWallstreet #Justicia #Noticias

Infórmate: https://zurl.co/tE14O

We’re Not Disappearing — We’re the Foundation

By Keisa Stewart-Rucker | Head2Toe Magazine & Entertainment

Editor’s Note:
When extremist Nick Fuentes recently declared that “everyone wants Black people to disappear” and accused Black communities of causing “all the crime, especially in Chicago,” it reignited a familiar fire — the weaponization of false narratives to demean and dehumanize Black people. But at Head2Toe Magazine, we don’t shy away from truth. We confront it, expose it, and speak power to it. This piece isn’t just a rebuttal — it’s a reminder of who we are, what we’ve endured, and why we’re still here.

Let’s passionately assert: Black people are not the problem; we are the undeniable backbone of this nation. America was brutally seized from Indigenous people and forged on the relentless strength of enslaved Africans. Our ancestors toiled on the land, picked the crops, built the railroads, cooked the meals, cared for the children, and fueled an economy that enriched others — all while being deprived of the very freedoms for which they worked so ceaselessly.

The Theft and the Truth

White men did not create America; they took it. They stole land, lives, and labor, then rewrote the history books to cast themselves as pioneers and heroes. The real story — the one they avoid — is that everything great about this country stands on a foundation laid by Black hands.

From inventions that changed the world to music that shaped its heartbeat, Black innovation is America’s hidden engine. Our art, our language, our rhythm, our style — they don’t just influence culture, they define it.

Inventions They Don’t Teach You About

For generations, America has benefited from Black brilliance while pretending it didn’t exist. The truth is, many of the tools and comforts we depend on daily were created or perfected by Black inventors whose names are too often left out of classrooms and history books.

Garrett Morgan — invented the traffic light and the gas mask, saving countless lives.
Lewis Latimer — developed the carbon filament that made Thomas Edison’s light bulb practical.
Madam C.J. Walker — created the first successful Black-owned haircare line and became the first self-made female millionaire in America.
Dr. Patricia Bath — invented the Laserphaco Probe, a device that revolutionized cataract surgery.
Granville T. Woods — known as “the Black Edison,” he held over 50 patents including for the telephone transmitter and railway telegraph system.
Sarah Boone — patented the modern ironing board design that made pressing clothes easier.
George Washington Carver — developed hundreds of uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans, advancing agriculture and sustainability.
Lonnie G. Johnson — NASA engineer and inventor of the Super Soaker, one of the most popular toys in history.
Marie Van Brittan Brown — invented the home security system, laying the foundation for today’s modern surveillance technology.

These innovators — and thousands more — prove that Black genius is woven into every fabric of American progress. We didn’t just contribute; we created.

Destruction Out of Fear

Every time Black people built something powerful, it was met with violence.

Tulsa’s Black Wall Street — bombed and burned to ashes.
Rosewood, Florida — destroyed by mobs fueled by lies.
Seneca Village in New York — bulldozed to make room for Central Park.

Each time, the pattern repeated: Black progress sparked white fear, and white fear birthed destruction. Yet somehow, we’re labeled the violent ones?

The Modern Lie

Today, the same narrative continues under new packaging — “Black people cause all the crime.” It’s a lazy, racist talking point designed to justify over-policing, underfunding, and mass incarceration. It ignores systemic poverty, generational trauma, and deliberate exclusion from opportunity. It refuses to acknowledge that when neighborhoods are stripped of resources, despair is often criminalized instead of healed.

But we know better. Statistics don’t define us — purpose does.

Chosen, Not Cursed

They hate us because they see the divine light within us — the truth that we are chosen. Despite centuries of oppression, we still rise, still create, still lead. From the church pews to the boardrooms, from the beauty salons to the tech labs, from the marching lines to the big screens — Black excellence is alive and unstoppable.

Our faith has always been our armor. What was meant to break us became the very thing that built us. Black people are the dream and the proof that you cannot erase what God has anointed.

We Are Not Disappearing

We are multiplying in brilliance, creativity, and strength. The world borrows our rhythm, our style, our resilience — yet denies us credit. But the truth stands tall: without us, there is no America.

So, to those who wish for our disappearance — keep watching. Because we’re not fading away; we’re taking our rightful place. We’re rebuilding what was torn down, reclaiming what was stolen, and redefining what it means to be powerful, purposeful, and free.

Blacks are not the problem.
We are the pulse.
We are the chosen people.
And we’re just getting started.

#BlackExcellence #BlackInventors #BlackWallStreet #ChosenPeople #Head2ToeSpeaks #HistoryMatters #Rosewood #TruthOverHate #UnapologeticallyBlack #WeAreTheFoundation

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#blackpeople #blackamerican #blackafrican #tulsa #blackwallstreet #blackmastodon

Today in Labor History August 1, 1921: Sheriff Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers were murdered by Baldwin-Felts private cops. They did it in retaliation for Hatfield’s role in the Matewan labor battle in 1920, when two Felts family thugs were killed by Hatfield and his deputies. Sheriff Hatfield had sided with the coal miners during their strike. The private cops executed Hatfield and Chambers on the Welch County courthouse steps in front of their wives. This led to the Battle of Blair Mountain, where 20,000 coal miners marched to the anti-union stronghold Logan County to overthrow Sheriff Dan Chaffin, the coal company tyrant who murdered miners with impunity. The Battle of Blair Mountain started in September 1921. The armed miners battled 3,000 police, private cops and vigilantes, who were backed by the coal bosses. It was the largest labor uprising in U.S. history, and the largest armed insurrection since the Civil War. The president of the U.S. eventually sent in 27,000 national guards. Over 1 million rounds were fired. Up to 100 miners were killed, along with 10-30 Baldwin-Felts detectives and 3 national guards. They even dropped bombs on the miners from planes, the second time in history that the U.S. bombed its own citizens (the first being the pogrom against black residents of Tulsa, earlier that same year).

Several novels portray the Battle of Blair Mountain, including Storming Heaven, by Denise Giardina, (1987), Blair Mountain, by Jonathan Lynn (2006), and Carla Rising, by Topper Sherwood (2015). And one of my favorite films of all time, “Matewan,” by John Sayles (1987), portrays the Matewan Massacre and the strike leading up to it. The film has a fantastic soundtrack of Appalachian music from the period. And the great West Virginia bluegrass singer, Hazel Dickens, sings the title track, "Fire in the Hole." She also appears in the film as a member of the Freewill Baptist Church.

You can read my complete article on the Battle of Blair Mountain, and Matewan, here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/14/the-battle-of-blair-mountain/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #mining #westvirginia #strike #union #police #vigilantes #uprising #racism #riots #blackwallstreet #film #novel #books @bookstadon