LeBron James Is Producing A Documentary About The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
By Ethan Anderton/June 27, 2020 1:00 pm EST
For those of you who didn’t watch HBO’s Watchmen and still don’t know much about the Tulsa Race Massacre, the violent event unfolded from May 31 through June 1 with mobs of white citizens attacking the black residents and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Attacks were carried out on the streets and even from private airplanes flown over the 35-square block area that was then the wealthiest Black community in the United States.
Here’s how The History Channel explains the events leading up to the massacre:
During the confrontation, shots were fired, chaos broke out, and the resulting violence led to many deaths, though the real number of casualties has been debated over the years. You can get a more detailed breakdown of the timeline of the massacre at Wikipedia, but waiting to see this documentary about the event may offer a clearer picture.
Salima Koroma posted this on Twitter (via USA Today) to announce the new documentary:
The Tulsa Race Massacre is not just a black story but American history. The fabric of this country is soaked in racism and today 99 years later, we’re still fighting for change. That’s why I’m partnering with @SpringHillEnt to tell the story of Black Wall Street ✊🏿
— salima the creator (@limacake) June 1, 2020
SpringHill Entertainment followed up with confirmation:
In April, @limacake pitched us her vision to direct a documentary about Black Wall Street and The Tulsa Riot of 1921 – one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history.
We knew we had to empower her to tell that story ✊🏿 #BlackLivesMatter #Dreamland @KingJames https://t.co/Ns0d3mDFoj
— SpringHill (@makespringhill) June 1, 2020
LeBron James and his producing partner Maverick Carter at SpringHill Entertainment have been spreading important messages and telling powerful stories about the Black experience. Not only have they produced films about the experience of Black athletes in the spotlight with documentary productions such as Shut Up and Dribble and What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali, but they’ve also produced the Netflix drama series Self Made: Inspired by the life of Madam C.J. Walker, which tells the story of the first African-American self-made millionaire, played by Octavia Spencer.
It sounds like this Tulsa Race Massacre documentary is in the nascent stages of development, but we’ll be sure to update you when more information becomes available. In the meantime, here’s some more perspective on the event, courtesy of a featurette from HBO’s Watchmen:
