Into the Air

 

I wonder what the soil knows. I wonder how it feels to be the secret keeper and the life giver all in one breath. I wonder how it feels when we break into its vault and take the truth it has been hiding. I wonder if it wanted to hide secrets or if it was becoming sick with sorrow. I wonder if it cradled the bones within hidden mass graves or if it kept trying to push the bodies to the surface. If I could have a conversation with the earth I would just listen. 

Make no mistake, this was a massacre. 

After June 1, 1921 the soil in Tulsa, Oklahoma opened up to hold space for discarded black bodies. I had no idea. I had never heard of the Tulsa Massacre. It is almost like America thought that death would stop us from remembering that these bodies once lived and loved. But America got it wrong. Death does not stop remembrance and the ground is not beholden to the silence we ask it to keep. The earth remembers. It always has. And we are of the earth before we are of the air before we return to the earth. Or maybe we are of the air before it seeps into the ground before we return to the air for life. Either way, we are connected- to the soil, the atmosphere, and each other. We always have been. The connection is not severed in death. Remembrance is easily possible with bonds so deep. But if you change history’s narrative enough, the truth fades into the ground. That is, until we are bold enough to ask for answers. 

There was a black wall street in America. Did you know that? I had no idea until HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ spoke of a history that has been hidden. Perhaps, I did not know because we bury our shame. Or maybe instead of shame, America was concealing the injustice we are not so removed from. Black wall street, set in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was destroyed in 1921 on June 1st. Dick Rowland, a 19 year old black man, stood accused of a baseless transgression against a white woman and faced the possibility of being lynched. The black community showed up at the courthouse to protest in defense of Rowland while the white community also appeared to stand by the accusation made. Tension grew and fights broke out, leading Rowland’s community to retreat into the Greenwood district. Upon which, the police provided firearms to their fellow white town citizens and attacked and arrested the population of Greenwood district. In addition to the violent acts, over 1200 homes were looted and burned, along with all other remaining structures. Planes dropped bombs from he sky and citizens wrecked havoc on the ground. Greenwood was left in ashes. 

tulsa 2.png

The events of June 1st, 1921 are sometimes referred to as the Tulsa Race Riots. At the time, Oklahoma reported 36 casualties and no one was held accountable. But the truth does not cease to exist just because it is hidden. Black bodies were discarded. Being carried off into mass graves or dumped into the river or set on trains to conceal how many lives were lost. An estimated 300 people were killed that day. Make no mistake, this was a massacre. 


tulsa1-1000x729.jpg

But this earth holds us tightly. Almost 100 years later mass graves are being discovered in Tulsa. This unearthing of truth cannot be denied any longer. Yet, America still tries. Our history books make no mention of this atrocity and our leaders remain tight-lipped. This choice to stay silent and to turn away from tragedy is an exercise in privilege. Or maybe it is a practice in pride. Perhaps, it is an allowance to keep harming our neighbors. See, America is still not as far removed from 1921 as we would like to admit. Fear is spreading, and I would wager to say, it never left, the only difference is brutality is being filmed. Our police are not handing out firearms to terrorize communities, but they are still shooting our unarmed brothers and sisters without accountability. Jails are full to bursting with people caught in baseless accusations and no money for lawyers or bail. Our fellow citizens are not setting houses on fire but when we say we smell smoke, our words fall on deaf ears. Klan members trade their hoods for suits and help run our towns, arriving to church on Sundays with entire congregations praying for and enabling their success. And often it seems people refuse to stand up because they are comfortable as they live. As far as we have come in race relations, there is still work to be done. 

But the work to be done does not rest, even as we sit idly. The blood in our soil does not disappear. And thank the earth for remembering while we were deep into forgetfulness and stubborn in our acknowledgments. But the unearthing has begun.

I do not mean this message in a discouraging way, though it could be easy to receive it as such. I am also finding, as I put more of my words into the world, that people are quick to dismiss them. But the truth does not change, no matter how inconvenient or uncomfortable. And to be told of injustice and then have the ability to turn away and dismiss the life of your neighbor(or the history and present state of the country) without your life being affected is privilege. In many ways I am also privileged. I am not oblivious to the liberties that were given to me upon birth and adoption. But regardless of how big or little my privilege is in this life, I refuse to look away. And I ask you to do the same. Sometimes once we know things are not as good as we thought, we become stagnant in the movement forward. Or we chose silence in our insecurity. But the work to be done does not rest, even as we sit idly. The blood in our soil does not disappear. And thank the earth for remembering while we were deep into forgetfulness and stubborn in our acknowledgments. But the unearthing has begun. HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ says that “wounds need air to heal” and this is one tragedy that has been hidden long enough. So today, if nothing else, hold witness to this history. And tomorrow, instead of picking up the firearm offered to you, hold witness to the pain, trauma, joy, love, and life of your neighbors. Because we are not in this life by ourselves. We are connected, soil to air, to lungs to love- in life and in death. As it has always been. As it should have been remembered on June 1st, 1921.

-K

 
Karen Leonard3 Comments