American Experience Pilgrimage to Tulsa.

The Faith & Politics Institute’s 2021 pilgrimage to Tulsa, Oklahoma, brought together members of Congress and civic leaders to mark the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and reflect on the enduring legacies of racial violence and resilience in America.

Held in the Greenwood District – once known as “Black Wall Street” – the pilgrimage honored the memory of the hundreds of Black residents killed and thousands left homeless when a white mob destroyed one of the most prosperous African American communities in the nation. Through visits to historic Vernon AME Church, the Greenwood Cultural Center, and the new Greenwood Rising history center, participants heard from survivors, descendants, and scholars about the truth of what occurred and the generations-long struggle for justice and repair. The experience invited participants to confront the silence and denial that long obscured this history and to engage in a national conversation about reconciliation, equity, and the moral leadership needed to build a more just future.

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