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The
"Jim
Crow"
law
was
in
effect
in
Oklahoma.
On
trains
Negroes
had
their
separate
compartments.
Separate
waiting
rooms
were
also
required
at
stations.
They
were
not
welcome
as
patrons
in
white
stores
or
restaurants.
Thus,
Negroes
had
their
own
town.
They
did
enjoy
the
pride
in
their
schools
and
businesses
such
as
real
estate,
doctors,
teachers,
etc.
However
they
had
very
good
schools
and
were
proud
of
them.
Their
schools
were
and
are
under
the
Tulsa
School
System.
Their
businesses
however
were
all
run
by
Negroes
and
they
prospered.
As
Henry
Whitlow,
Tulsa
Negro
educator,
said,
"They
earned
their
money
in
the
white
south
part
of
Tulsa,
but
spent
it
in
their
own
community."
I
remember
being
on
a
streetcar
and
a
very
nice
looking
young
Negro
woman
and
a
boy
got
on.
The
boy
asked
as
they
walked
past
me
toward
the
back
of
the
car,
"Mother,
why
do
we
have
to
go
to
the
back
of
the
streetcar?"
That's
a
question
to
think
about.
What
if
it
were
you
and
your
son?
Hard
to
answer,
I'd
say.
The
public
parks
and
rides
in
the
parks
were
reserved
for
use
by
the
blacks
on
Emancipation
Day.
I
can't
find
a
record
of
this
day
of
celebration,
but
to
the
best
of
my
memory,
it
was
Aug.
17.
On
this
day
parks
were
reserved
for
the
black's
use
only.
The
following
information
was
obtained
from
the
American
Encyclopedia.
Emancipation
Proclamation,
the
announcement
issued
by
Abraham
Lincoln:
January
1,
1863,
abolishing
slavery
in
all
military
sections
of
the
South
except
territories
occupied
by
Union
Army.
June
17,
1862
-
All
captured,
deserted,
or
fugitives
of
owners
are
freed.
So
it
is
possible
June
17
is
the
day
the
blacks
celebrate.
Segregation
was
still
in
effect.
The
seating
arrangement
for
the
Ethel
Waters
concert
had
to
be
made
to
take
care
of
this.
Miss
Waters
was
a
noted
Negro
singer.
The
Convention
Hall
was
divided
down
the
middle.
On
one
side
of
the
middle
aisle
were
whites,
on
the
other
side
of
the
middle
aisle
the
Negroes
were
seated-both
downstairs
and
balcony.
She
was
liked
by
both
whites
and
Negroes,
but
each
wanted
its
own
sections.
All
were
satisfied
with
this
arrangement.
Tulsa
was
growing
very
rapidly
in
the
teens
and
twenties.
Hate
groups,
both
white
and
colored,
caused
tension
to
run
high.
There
were
not
enough
trained
police
to
help
dissolve
the
trouble.
Many
times
the
law
was
taken
over
by
radicals
with
both
whites
and
blacks
being
victims.
Negroes
originally
lived
5
or
6
blocks
east
of
our
property,
but
by
1921
they
had
bought
houses
up
to
Detroit.
A
city
ordinance
was
passed
preventing
them
from
buying
west
of
Detroit.
Since
the
east
side
of
Detroit
was
Negro
and
the
west
was
white,
Dad
could
not
sell
his
property.
Whites
didn't
want
it
and
blacks
weren't
allowed
to
buy
it.
On
June
1,
1921
(really
the
night
before,
I
believe),
these
tensions
came
to
a
head.
While
in
the
elevator
at
the
court
house,
a
Negro
boy
made
a
remark
to
a
white
girl
who
was
the
elevator
operator.
As
I
understand,
the
remark
didn't
really
amount
to
much,
but
he
was
arrested.
The
Negroes
in
open
cars
(we
didn't
have
hard
tops
as
now)
with
guns
drove
around
and
around
the
court
house.
Lynchings
were
common
so
the
tension
was
high
enough
though
the
boy
was
placed
on
the
top
floor
and
the
citizens
of
the
town,
now
with
a
population
of
73,000,
had
been
given
assurance
that
he
would
not
be
released
to
a
mob.
Many
people
didn't
know
what
was
going
on
as
the
commotion
was
north
of
the
Frisco
tracks
and
about
four
blocks
east
of
Main
street.
Phil
Morris,
a
young
man
boarding
with
my
parents,
was
downtown
and
came
home
about
9:00
o'clock
that
night
and
told
us
of
the
trouble.
As
it
was
summer,
the
doors
and
windows
were
open.
We
lived
on
Standpipe
Hill.
Negroes
lived
across
Detroit
Street
on
the
east
side
of
the
street.
Our
house
at
the
corner
of
Fairview
and
Detroit
faced
Detroit
and
so
was
across
the
street
from
the
beginning
of
Negro
Town.
In
1918,
we
moved
into
a
house
Dad
built
on
the
back
of
this
property.
This
house
was
plumbed
for
water-except
drinking
water-
and
also
had
electricity.
It
faced
Fairview
Street.
The
Negroes
living
across
Detroit
were
doctors,
lawyers,
teachers,
etc.
They
went
east
to
their
work.
We
went
west
so
each
stayed
to
themselves.
We
lived
north
of
the
standpipe.
We
were
told
that
both
sides
were
fighting
with
clubs
and
guns--even
machine
guns--down
on
the
railroad
tracks
that
night.
As
the
hill
crested
where
the
water
tower
was,
we
could
see
only
what
happened
from
our
east
windows.
We
turned
off
the
lights.
Our
bedrooms
were
on
the
west
side
of
the
house
and
so
were
out
of
danger.
My
niece
Helen,
then
about
12
years
old,
was
visiting
us
at
the
time.
She
and
Mother
went
to
bed,
but
Dad
and
I
sat
on
the
floor
and
watched
out
the
double
windows
in
the
dining
room.
The
windows
came
low
enough
to
the
floor
for
us
to
sit
comfortably
and
still
have
a
good
view
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