U.S. Christians Remember Greenwood Massacre
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Christians in the U.S. town of Greenwood are among those commemorating the 100th anniversary of a massacre that destroyed the prosperous Black neighborhood.
It was one of the nation’s deadliest atrocities of racist violence, with estimates of the death toll ranging from dozens to 300.
Worshipers gathered Sunday in the First Baptist Church of North Tulsa, which had one of the few structures left standing by white attackers.
The church claims the mob thought the brick veneer structure was “too fine” for a Black-owned church. However, attackers destroyed at least a half-dozen other churches while burning and leveling a 35-square-block neighborhood.
First Baptist’s current sanctuary throbbed with a high-decibel service as six congregations gathered to mark the centennial of the massacre. They also honor the persistence of the Black church tradition in Greenwood, as shown in the pulsing worship, call-and-response preaching, and heavy emphasis on social justice.
Greenwood is “holy ground,” said the Reverend John Faison of Nashville, Tennessee, who preached at the service and is assistant to the bishop of social action for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship.
He said the centennial both honors the victims of the massacre and “celebrates the resilience and the resurgence of an amazing people of God.”
Similar commemorations took place at many houses of worship throughout Tulsa, of which Greenwood is part and across Oklahoma state.
The gatherings came on the eve of a visit from President Joe Biden, who claims to be popular with African-American voters. He will attend Tuesday’s commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the massacre.
Roughly a year after the killing of Black suspect George Floyd by police, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, the killings resonate with current events more than previously.
The commission that organized the centennial designated Sunday as Unity Faith Day. They provided a suggested worship guide that each congregation could adapt, including scriptures, prayers, and the singing of “Amazing Grace.”
At especially historically Black churches, speakers emphasized a call for financial reparations.
They say compensation should go to both the few centenarian survivors of the massacre and to the broader, economically struggling North Tulsa area, where the city’s Black population is primarily concentrated.
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