Russell Westbrook will Produce a Docuseries on the Tulsa Massacre
All-Star Houston Rockets guard, Russell Westbrook, is set to produce a docuseries covering the events of the 1921 Race Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to Variety. Titled “Terror In Tulsa: The Rise And Fall of Black Wall Street,” the series will be produced alongside Stanley Nelson, a documentary filmmaker, and Blackfin, a production company.
Largely considered one of the nation’s worst incidents of racial violence, mobs of white residents attacked the predominately black businesses and townspeople of the Greenwich district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The attack destroyed 35 square blocks of the district, and was perpetrated via both ground forces and private aircraft.
Dubbed “Black Wall Street,” the community was, at the time, the wealthiest black community within the United States. 1921 records state that 21 residents died, though current studies estimate up to 300 deaths actually occurred. The massacre has, up until recently, been omitted from local, state, and national records. In 2020, Oklahoma decided to include the incident in its statewide curriculum.
Russell Westbrook, who began his career and spent 11 years playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, stated in a tweet that living “in Oklahoma opened my eyes to the rich and sordid history of the state.”
He provided the following statement:
“Spending 11 years in Oklahoma opened my eyes to the rich and sordid history of the state. When I learned about the heartbreaking events that happened in Tulsa nearly 100 years ago, I knew this was a story I wanted to tell. It’s upsetting that the atrocities that transpired then, are still so relevant today. It’s important we uncover the buried stories of African Americans in this country. We must amplify them now more than ever if we want to create change moving forward.”
Russell Westbrook joined Spurs player DeMar DeRozan and rapper Kendrick Lamar at a protest in Compton, California this weekend, close to his hometown of Long Beach.
Protestors have taken to the streets in every state to protest police brutality following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer on May 25. The infamous video depicts now-fired officer Derek Chavin with his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, with Floyd repeatedly begging for him to remove his knee. Floyd was pronounced dead an hour later at a nearby hospital. Chauvin now faces 2nd-degree murder charges, after being initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter – two charges he still faces. The three other officers involved in the incident have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
