Rotary Club of Tulsa Foundation Makes Significant Donation to Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial
TRIUMPHAL GIFT: Displaying the Rotary Club of Tulsa Foundation gift to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission are, from left, past Rotary Club of Tulsa President Karen Keith, current Rotary President Paul Bauman, Rotarian Hannibal B. Johnson and Centennial Commission Project Director Phil Armstrong, also a member of the Rotary Club of Tulsa.
On Nov. 17, the Rotary Club of Tulsa, led by President Paul Bauman, presented a check in the amount of $82,000 to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, to be used as follows:
• A $70,000 contribution to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission from the Rotary Club of Tulsa Foundation for the Greenwood Rising Museum to be located at the southeast corner of Greenwood and Archer; and
• Two benches at $6,000 each, purchased through the Toni Morrison Society “Bench by the Road Project,” a memorial history and community outreach initiative launched in 2006. “Bench by the Road” comes from Ms. Morrison’s remarks in a 1989 interview. The Project places benches and plaques at sites commemorating significant moments, individuals, and locations within the history of the African Diaspora. Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District is one such site. The Rotary Club of Tulsa benches will be placed at: the southeast corner of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street in front of Greenwood Rising: The Black Wall Street History Center; and in front of the Mabel B. Little Heritage House located at 322 North Greenwood Avenue. The proposed date for bench installation March 1, 2021.
Centennial Commission Project Director Phil Armstrong, himself a member of the Rotary Club of Tulsa, accepted the check. On hand were Past Presidents Karen Keith and Hannibal B. Johnson, together with Community Service Director Karen MacCannell and Executive Director Tina Miller.
The Rotary Plaza reflects a gift to Tulsa of the Rotary Club of Tulsa’s past 100 years. The gift to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission reflects a gift to our future, according to club officers.
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