For Oklahoma , the early quarter of the 20th century was politically turbulent . Many different groups had flooded into the state ; " black towns " , or towns made of groups of African Americans choosing to live separately from whites , sprouted all over the state , while most of the state abided by the Jim Crow laws within each individual city , racially separating people with a bias against any non-white " race " . Greenwood , a neighborhood in Northern Tulsa , was known as Black Wall Street because of the vibrant business , cultural , and religious community there . The area was destroyed in the 1921 Tulsa race riot , one of the United States ' deadliest race riots
Tulsa race riot
Tulsa race riot
History of Oklahoma