For decades, few talked about one of the largest historical events of racial violence in our country’s history, the Tulsa Race Massacre. Now, 100 years after the event, through a groundbreaking healing approach, a group of artists are reclaiming Black Wall Street with a project known as Fire in Little Africa.
The project began in 2019 and is a multimedia hip hop compilation, organized by the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center in collaboration with the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. Including a music album, podcast, and documentary, the project fosters creation with the intent to give artists an opportunity to dive deep into the history and spread awareness for further discussion and education.
On April 24th, Fire in Little Africa is sharing their message and taking the main stage in Oklahoma City. From 7 to 9 p.m., 30 artists will perform on the North Lawn at the Oklahoma Contemporary to commemorate the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre and share some of the important work they’ve created.
“Fire in Little Africa is a project of explosive creativity and extraordinary scale,” said Oklahoma Contemporary Artistic Director Jeremiah Matthew Davis. “The artists who comprise the new collective have courageously banded together to meet this moment — the centennial commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre. This important project and forthcoming album speak to the ability of contemporary artists not only to interpret the world as it is so we can better appreciate the present, but to wrangle with the world as it was so we can draw lessons from the past.”
In addition to the music, attendees will be able to enjoy the Greenwood Art Project’s mobile exhibition, The G.A.P. Van, throughout the evening.
The free lawn seating and VIP terrace tickets for the event have already sold out, but you can still reserve a spot on the waitlist. The event will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.
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