Lasting around 24 hours and claiming as many as 300 lives, the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 is also infamous for causing havoc at the Black Wall Street, which was previously known as a prosperous area in the US state of Oklahoma.

The situation got triggered after Dick Rowland, a 19-year- old Black man walked into the Drexel Building in Tulsa, where he came across Sarah Page, a White elevator operator. Even though the details of their interaction are still unclear, many believe Rowland tripped over and grabbed Page’s dress as a reflex causing it to tear.

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The next day, hundreds of White people gathered outside the courthouse where Rowland was scheduled to be processed by the authorities. Meanwhile, a group of Black men approaches the courthouse, wielding weapons, in an attempt to protect Rowland from any possible harm.

On the night of May 31st, around 10 pm, the first shot of the incident was fired after a White man, amongst those outside the courthouse, attempts to disarm a Black World War veteran.

The violence unfolded after this incident in Tulsa. The group of White people, at around 10:30 pm, start firing shots towards the other group, who also start firing defensive shots.

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Former Oklahoma Governor J. B. A. Robertson, who was the state’s top authority at the time, calls in for backup to prevent further loss in the developing situation. At 5 am, the train inbound to Tulsa leaves from Oklahoma city with 100 National Guard personnel. 

On June 1 around 11:30 am, martial law was declared in the area in an attempt to regain control over and mitigate the violence which had already claimed multiple lives.

US President Joe Biden met survivors of the Tulsa Massacre on Tuesday to mark 100 years of the violent incident. White House said Biden met with Lessie Benningfielf Randle, Hughes Van Ellis and Viola Fletcher, reported CNN.