A Digital Media Company
Protruding from the mouth of the bullhorn, Dr. Robert Turner’s voice fans the ashes of a Tulsa’s unresolved inner conflict between its Black and White neighbors.
You know my dad and my mom separated, so I didn’t have a lot of male energy in my home. And also I’m married to a family that, you know, not a lot of male energy going on. It’s beautiful though. You know it’s something about… You know I love Hillary, I love everyone. Right? But the campaign [slogan], “I’m with Her” just didn’t make me feel, as a guy, that didn’t get to see my dad all the time. Like a guy that could play catch with his son.
At school board meetings, I always have anxiety when I’m in a room full of White folks, who are listening to the same horrible academic-performance stats about my race. It is the kind of information that painfully pierces a Black person’s soul because we know that that ‘unintellectual’ and ‘undisciplined-people’ stigmatization continues to layer. We Black folks want to explain ‘the why’; however, there isn’t enough time in any single meeting to explain to folks why Black students are still lagging academically. The first insecurity we fight is wondering if White America is apathetic towards closing the gap.
Last month, a reporter from the Washington Post traveled to Tulsa in search of the truth about life in the historic Greenwood District before, during, and after the Black Wall Street Massacre. DeNeen Brown, a resident of Washington D.C., stayed in Tulsa for a few days to talk and visit with Tulsans to see just what makes T-Town tick. Ms. Brown returned to the nation’s capital with her discoveries and stories of the victim’s descendants who had lost lives and property during that monstrous and human-made disaster. The internationally recognized publication has provoked thoughts and discussions, both genuine and evil-natured, among Tulsans surrounding those hidden pages in Tulsa’s darkest chapter of American history.
“The Hexagon” showcases the tragedy, the comedy, the tragicomedy and the avant-garde, reflecting the breadth and scope of Black Wall Street Theatre. As part of its mission to further bridge the gap in the Tulsa theatre community, Black Wall Street Theatre is home to a diverse array of playwrights, actors and directors that share a similar worldview despite being from different backgrounds.
Teachers, you have the political will to build on recent school funding successes toward a demand for sustained results, and you’re building the political power with scores of new education candidates running for state and local offices who can actually transform proposals into policy.
