Tanya Van Court

This past weekend, I got to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. When she was born 17 years ago on May 31, it never occurred to me that her connection to such a dark day in our country’s history would later serve as a beacon of light for building our family’s legacy and make her a driving force in my own career trajectory years later. Known as the Tulsa Massacre, the events of May 31, 1921, arguably encompass the most devastating atrocities of injustice we as Black Americans have endured in this nation’s history, shaping the future of our families for generations to come. It is on this day that a symbol of economic hope and success for Black communities in the United States came to an end when within hours, a white mob turned three square miles of a vibrant Black community into ashes, with more than 300 Black people killed and over 1,000 homes and businesses looted and set on fire. The Tulsa Massacre would set in a wave of fear and a warning for Black communities across the country for...