In 1921 , when Mildred , Angela 's mother , is a young child she witnesses her mother 's violent murder at the hands of white men during the Tulsa race riot . Unable to speak of the horrors she witnessed that day Mildred grows into a quiet , risk-averse woman who nevertheless has a vivid and active imagination and finds it difficult to blend in with the church-going women of her community . Despite loving her three children she finds them difficult to raise . Mildred 's one solace is the movie theatre Dreamland which she visits regularly
Tulsa race riot
Tulsa race riot
Third Girl from the Left