The Tulsa Race Massacre—one of the worst acts of racist violence in American history—has long been written out of history. In advance of the 100th anniversary, here are books and resources that shed light on the event.

Books

Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. Oct. 2021. ISBN 9780063056664.
From the publisher: The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in US history. But how did it come to pass? What exactly happened? And why are the events unknown to so many of us today? These are the questions that award-winning author Brandy Colbert seeks to answer in this searing nonfiction account.

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford (text) & illus. by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda. ISBN 9781541581203.
 Gr 3-6–This moving account sheds light on shameful events long suppressed or ignored. All collections should consider this title’s value in providing historical context to current conversations about racism and America’s ongoing legacy of white supremacy.

Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316384933.
 Gr 8 Up–A rich work that links past and present. After the remains of a skeleton are found in her Tulsa, OK, backyard, 17-year-old Rowan Chase becomes consumed with finding out the story behind the death. As she digs into the mystery, Rowan’s contemporary perspective alternates with that of another Tulsa teen: Will, a 17-year-old in the 1920s.

The Tulsa Race Massacre by Kara L. Laughlin. (Black American Journey). ISBN 9781503853713.
From the publisher: A brief introduction into the violent Tulsa Race Massacre that occurred on May 31-June 1 1921.

The Burning (Young Readers Edition): Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan; adapted by Hilary Beard. Holt. ISBN 9781250787699.
From the publisher: The Burning recreates Greenwood at the height of its prosperity, explores the currents of hatred, racism, and mistrust between its Black residents and Tulsa's White population, narrates events leading up to and including Greenwood's devastation, and documents the subsequent silence that surrounded this tragedy.

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink. Feiwel & Friends. ISBN 9781250768476.
A love story set in Greenwood, Oklahoma, also known as the “Black Wall Street,” and against the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.

Interviews and Curricular Resources

Sonja Cherry-Paul, Curricular Guide for Carole Boston Weatherford’s Unspeakable. Lerner Books.
https://lernerbooks.com/unspeakable
This guide includes discussion notes, author and illustrator notes, and learning explorations for seventh and eighth grade. There is also a page of resources to teach the Insurrection at the Capitol on January 6 with a focus on whiteness, white supremacy, and white privilege, and how that fueled the insurrection and what parallels can be drawn between the Tulsa Race Massacre and the Capitol attack. A pdf of the guide is available free to download.

The Classroom Bookshelf, “Learning from the Unspeakable: Teaching Ideas Centered on the Tulsa Race Massacre”
Weatherford and Cooper’s fusion of art and history bring to light a shameful episode a century ago that allows teachers, librarians, young people, and their families to reconsider our present and reaffirm our commitments to anti-racism.

A Fuse 8 Production, “An Unspeakable Interview: Talking with Carole Boston Weatherford About the Tulsa Race Massacre”
"I do not think that young readers are too tender for tough topics." Betsy Bird talks with Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper about their nonfiction picture book on the Tulsa Race Massacre.

SLJ, "Hilary Beard and Tim Madigan in Conversation on 'The Burning' and the Tulsa Race Massacre"
In advance of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the author and adapter of The Burning (Young Readers Edition): Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, discuss their book and this painful part of American history.