Reconciliation Park A Memorial, Place To Reflect History Of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in Tulsa was dedicated on May 31, 2018 as a memorial to the 1921 Race Massacre. 

The park is divided into three different elements, The Tower of Reconciliation, Hope Plaza, and The Healing Walkway. 

Julius Pegues spearheaded the project and is a known historian on many aspects of Black Wall Street. 

“The story is the resiliency of the people that rebuilt greenwood, that is the real story,” Pegues said. 

The Tower of Reconciliation was created and built by Ed Dwight a black sculptor from Colorado. And with the guidance of Pegues and his committee the 27-foot bronze tower was created. 

“And the symbolism at the top signifies blacks, or nameless and faceless people helping other people up to the top,’ Pegues explained. “You can see they are reaching down to help other people up.” 

The Hope Plaza part of the park is a 16-foot granite structure that contains three bronze sculptures representing actual pictures from the 1921 massacre. 

Humiliation is represented by a Black man with his hands raised. Hostility is represented by a white man fully armed for assault. And Hope represented by Maurice Willows, Executive Director of the Red Cross holding an African American baby born during the massacre. 

The Healing Walkway allows guest to reflect on history and the message of the park, as well as includes quotes from massacre survivors. 

Reconciliation Park was named after John Hope Franklin who as a child was a day away from arriving in Black Wall Street to reunite the family with his father Buck Franklin, who helped survivors of the massacre receive some reimbursement for damages. 

Franklin would become a famed historian, civil rights activist, and best-selling author who passed in 2009. 

The John Hope Reconciliation Park brings together so many aspects of Black Wall Street and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, all tied together with the waterfall adding an element of peace.