OKCPS Students Participate In Virtual Fireside Chat On Greenwood Rising Center

The Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center opened in Tulsa in 2021 and Boeing along with Oklahoma City Public schools want to show students exactly what the history center offers.

“Then to find out so many years later, that something so tragic as the Tulsa race massacre had occurred was absolutely heartbreaking,” said Brenda Alford, a descendant of Black Wall Street.

It was considered a fireside chat for students in Oklahoma City Public Schools to learn more about the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center. “How many people would come into the history center, that was roughly about my age, and I’m in my mid-fifties, and they would say, Dr. Doswell, we did not learn this in school,” said Dr. Raymond Doswell, Executive Director of The Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center.

In an effort to educate students about the massacre and the history center, Boeing approached the school district with a plan to facilitate a fireside chat, virtually. “This technology will be able to help more people engage and have more conversations with the ways that we move forward with racial reconciliation and progress,” said Bailey Perkins-Wright community investor for central region and Boeing Global engagement.

Simone Burrough is a junior at Douglas high school and was selected as the moderator for the virtual town hall. “I’m like witnessing it, I guess, firsthand, and this amazing opportunity that God placed for me, I learned a lot,” said Burrough.

The conversations were real and at times a little tough to hear. “If my grandparents had not survived those terrible days and hours, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you today,” said Alford.

The Zoom meeting was shown throughout the day in classes throughout the district. “It didn’t register that like people at Capitol Hill, Northwest Classen, Douglas even, are going to see me talking,” said Burrough. 

The hope is to spark an interest from the students to inspire them to make the drive and get the experience first-hand. “Since we opened in 2021, have had well over one hundred thousand visitors, many are from the state of Oklahoma, but so many more are truly from all over the world,” said Doswell.

For more information about the Greenwood Rising Black Wallstreet History Center visit www.greenwoodrising.org to view the fire side chat, click here https://youtu.be/IgtKQ9iZ-_Q?si=EFIxxt63eOP_dpRP.