HD
2014
A century ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a fateful encounter unfolded when Dick Rowland, a Black teenage shoe shiner, entered an elevator operated by a 17-year-old White girl. Misleading rumors about their interaction ignited tensions, culminating in one of America’s darkest episodes. Following Rowland's arrest, a provocative article from the Tulsa Tribune accused him of assault, inciting a white mob to storm the courthouse for his lynching. In defense of Rowland, armed Black residents rallied, but chaos erupted as gunfire broke out, leading to the devastating Tulsa Massacre, where violence against Black individuals escalated dramatically.