Join us on Friday, Feb. 20, 7:00 p.m., to hear Tamika Sanders, PhD present the multi-media presentation Black Wall Street. In the 1920s, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, also known as Black Wall Street, was one of the most prosperous African American communities in the United States. Filled with booming businesses and thriving entrepreneurs, the district served as a mecca of Black ingenuity and promise, until the evening of May 31, 1921, which marked the start of the devastating Tulsa Race Massacre.
More than thirty-five city blocks were burned to the ground and hundreds of Black city dwellers were killed. The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 is one of the most tragic moments in our nation’s history, yet this harrowing event is largely unknown to many Americans. Suppressed for decades, this story needs to be told. This presentation explores what made Black Wall Street so important, the actions that brought the city to its demise, and the complicated truth about what happened on that brutal day that make it worth reinvestigating.
Dr. Sanders has a PhD in Higher Education, a Master’s in Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. In 2009, Dr. Sanders started her company Savvy Pen to provide interactive programs that incorporate arts learning and multicultural training to bridge cultural and socioeconomic divides between educators and their students.
Dr. Sander’s work in the community earned her an invitation to speak at the TEDx Phoenix Salon about community sustainability in 2012, a Community Luminary Award in 2014, a nomination for the 2015 Humanities Rising Star Award for individuals using creative approaches to engage the public in humanities topics, and a Women of Distinction Award in 2022. Her goal is to continue using the arts to break barriers, inspire youth, and create social change.
Admission to all Premier Speaker Series events is $15 per person and can be purchased online or with cash in the lobby of the Renaissance Theater one hour prior to the presentation, subject to availability.
Event QR code tickets: PDF ticket(s) containing the individual QR Code will be sent immediately upon registration attached to the registration and confirmation email. The QR code ticket is a personal code for each registered person and the printed ticket(s) are required the night of the event for each attendee’s admittance. Open seating for all Premier Speaker Series events.
EVENT DATE/TIME: Friday, Feb. 20, 7-8:30 p.m.
COST: $15
MAXIMUM: 320 (no assigned seating, no waitlist)