Black Wall Street: A Conversation with Hannibal B. Johnson and Luc Cadet

The remarkable saga of Tulsa"s Greenwood District—known as "Black Wall Street"—stands as one of America"s most compelling yet overlooked stories of entrepreneurial triumph, devastating racial violence, and extraordinary resilience.  In this powerful episode, historian and author Hannibal Johnson reveals surprising truths that challenge common narratives about this iconic Black business district. While most accounts focus solely on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Johnson unveils the community"s astonishing rebirth, explaining how Greenwood actually reached its entrepreneurial zenith in the 1940s—two decades after its destruction. Johnson takes us deep into Greenwood"s economic ecosystem, where entrepreneurs like Simon Berry operated jitney services (early versions of Uber), bus lines, hotels, and even charter plane services for wealthy white oil executives. We learn how Oklahoma"s unique history gave many Black citizens land allotments through tribal connections, creating economic foundations that fostered business development across the state. The discussion explores difficult truths about what caused the massacre—from land lust and Klan activity to inflammatory newspaper reporting and the jealousy of poor whites seeing successful Black entrepreneurs. Yet the most powerful revelation may be how the community responded to this devastation, with businesses rebuilding "even as the embers still smoked." The story of Mount Zion Baptist Church spending 30 years to repay its mortgage rather than declaring bankruptcy exemplifies the community"s extraordinary integrity. Perhaps most thought-provoking is Johnson"s analysis of how desegregation ironically contributed to the district"s eventual economic decline by creating a one-way flow of Black dollars into white businesses without reciprocal white spending in Black establishments. This insight, combined with the devastating impact of urban renewal projects, offers crucial lessons about maintaining community wealth. For today"s entrepreneurs facing their own challenges, Greenwood"s legacy provides profound inspiration: "If your forebears 100 years ago did incredible things against odds you will never face, that should be inspirational." Discover how this history continues to inspire a new generation to build economic power with the same determination and excellence that defined Black Wall Street. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/c/EA_BookClub