The Tulsa Race Massacre: 100 Years Later
AFAM 4970/ENGL 4970/ENGL 5970/JMC 4970/JMC 5970
Karlos Hill
Meta G. Carstarphen
Rilla Askew
John Stewart
In 1921 the deadliest outbreak of white terrorist violence against a black community in American history took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Tulsa Race Massacre is an interdisciplinary exploration of the facts of the massacre, the conditions in media and culture which led to it, and our contemporary engagement with that history. Team-taught by Dr. Karlos Hill, Dr. Meta G. Carstarphen, Professor Rilla Askew, and Dr. John Stewart this course draws upon different yet complementary areas of expertise (African American Studies, Journalism, Creative Writing/Literary Studies, and Digital Humanities) to offer students an innovative, multi-perspective, and cross-disciplinary understanding of the Tulsa Race Massacre and its aftermath. Through lectures, readings, exploratory writing, in-class discussions, and guest speakers, this course will help students develop an appreciation for the centrality of the Black experience to Oklahoma history, culture, and media, come to understand the scope and impact of racism and racial violence in Oklahoma’s story, and examine our collective and individual responses to the massacre as we live out its legacy one hundred years later. The class will share what they learn with the rest of the world by creating a web and mobile app that teaches users about the massacre.
