Bronze Plaques Tell Story at Tulsa Memorial Park

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The mostly untold story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots now has a permanent voice at John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in Tulsa.

The park features a majestic 25-foot-tall bronze tower encircled by 12 large bronze plaques that faithfully recount what ignited, and transpired during and after, one of the most tragic race-related events in our nation’s history. Until now, the story has been largely suppressed. The plaques make public a chronicle of injustice, fear, vigilante behavior, and extraordinary loss and destruction. The plaques are the work of sign company Impact! Architectural Signs.

Impact! Architectural Signs VP Shabbir Moosabhoy states, “Participating on this historic project has been an honor for us. Having been selected to do the work is quite humbling.”
The statue’s sculptor, Ed Dwight adds, “These plaques are critical to retelling this important piece of history. They help to make the vision a reality for those who will come here for generations to come.”
Among those attending the dedication ceremony Wednesday was John W. Franklin, son of the late John Hope Franklin, who commented that the plaques are a great tribute.

The Tulsa Race Riot, set off on May 31, 1921, took 39 lives, sent hundreds to area hospitals, and left an estimated 10,000 residents homeless as a result of widespread fires and vandalism.