Learn how envy and racism led to the tragic destruction of the thriving Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in this thought-provoking addition to the New York Times bestselling What Was? series! Before May 31, 1921, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a flourishing neighborhood of 10,000 Black residents. There, Black families found success and community. They ran their own businesses, including barbershops, clothing stores, jewelers, restaurants, movie theatres, and more. There also were Black doctors, dentists, and lawyers to serve the neighborhood. Then, in one weekend, all of this was lost. A racist mob tore through the streets, burning everything to the ground and killing scores of innocent residents. Learn about what led to one of the worst moments of racial violence in America's history in this nonfiction book for young readers. Praise for What Was the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921? by Caleb Gayle "A comprehensive accountof this important historic atrocity, this accessible volume is not to be missed."— School Library Journal Caleb Gayle is an award-winning journalist and historian who writes about race and identity. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine , The Atlantic , The Guardian , Guernica , and other publications. He has an adult trade book with Riverhead called We Refuse To Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power that was published in 2022. Tim Foley is a freelance illustrator whose work has been featured in several Who HQ titles including What Is the AIDS Crisis? , What Was the Harlem Renaissance? , Where Is Hollywood? , and Who Was Edgar Allan Poe? He currently lives and works in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and his pet dog and cat. What Was the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921? May 31, 1921   Tuesday was prom night for the students of Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Like other proms held in past years, kids would show up in suits and ties, dresses, and their best shoes. They would dance the foxtrot and the cakewalk to the popular music of the 1920s—­jazz, ragtime, and barrelhouse.   Veneice Sims and Verby Ellison were going to the prom together. Veneice’s parents were allowing her to stay out until midnight—­a special treat. Veneice, much later in her life, remembered how she was looking forward to cutting loose on this fun night.   Usually, her dad would only let her play church music on the family’s Victrola record player. At the prom, she planned to dance, dance, dance. Beforehand, she laid out her blue silk dress, silver shoes, and a pearl necklace borrowed for the night. She was living her best life. And why wouldn’t she be?   Her dad was a mechanic for the bus company. She lived in a three-­bedroom home in a nice neighborhood. She had enough money to have the kind of prom dress and shoes most girls dream of. Not to mention, the Sims family had a car.   By 1921, Veneice’s parents had achieved the “American Dream” of success. This was especially remarkable because the Sims were Black. Not many other Black families (or white families) in America lived nearly as good a life as the Sims did. Even in the booming 1920s, nearly 60 percent of Americans were living in poverty, most ofthem Black people, immigrants, and farmers.   Named after the famous Black political leader, educator, and author, Booker T. Washington was an all-­Black high school in the all-­Black neighborhood where Veneice lived. It was called Greenwood, but to many it was better known as Black Wall Street.   Black Wall Street covered thirty-­five blocks. It got its nickname because of the many thriving businesses there. (Wall Street in New York City is a famous financial center.) Almost two hundred stores populated the area: hotels, restaurants, barbershops, two theaters, tailor shops, schools, a skating rink, and more. There was a public library, a hospital, a bus company, grocery stores, and about twelve churches. Many of the businesses were owned and operated by Black people. This was unusual back then. People who came to visit were impressed. It seemed like this part of the country—­the southwestern United States, where Oklahoma is—­offered the best chance for Black people to make a good life for themselves.   There were, however, dangers to living in a neighborhood like Greenwood.   Black Wall Street and the white neighborhoods of Tulsa were separated. Some white people resented that this nearby Black community was doing so well. This made things very dangerous for Greenwood’s Black people.   On prom night, before Veneice Sims got to slip into her beautiful blue dress, violence erupted in her neighborhood. White rioters began a brutal attack against the Black people in town. She heard men shouting, guns firing. All of a sudden, her dad was shouting to her, “There’s a race riot. It’s time to go.”   Only twenty-­four hours later, little of Black Wall Street was left standing. A massacre is when lots