Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) will observe the 103rd Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre with a free lecture from historian Tim Madigan, author of The Burning: Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, on Wednesday, May 29 at 6:30 p.m. A book signing by the author will follow the program.
On the nights of May 31 through June 1, 1921, a mob of hundreds of white supremacists descended upon the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Known at that time as Black Wall Street, Greenwood was one of the most prosperous African American neighborhoods in the nation.
By the end of the race riot, hundreds of buildings had been laid to waste, over 10,000 Greenwood residents were left homeless and up to 300 people had been murdered. Following the massacre, the Greenwood district remained a shadow of itself, and reports of the attack were largely unheard of for nearly a century.
The Burning: Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 gives an in-depth and haunting look into the events of that fateful day. Shedding light not only on the barbarism of the perpetrators in Tulsa, but also exposing America’s long history of countless race massacres that occurred in the latter half of the 19th, and first half of the 20th, centuries in the United States. This event is free to attend, but RSVP is required. Public programs at HMH are presented by Memorial Hermann. RSVP at hmh.org/Tulsa.
The free lecture is in tandem with the featured exhibition, The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection, on view through June 23, 2024 in HMH’s Josef and Edith Mincberg Gallery. The exhibition celebrates the achievements and contributions of Black Americans from 1595 to present day.
Considered one of the most comprehensive surveys of African American history and culture outside the Smithsonian Institution, the exhibition of the same name features the shared treasures amassed by Shirley and Bernard Kinsey during their five decades of marriage.
The collection includes masterful paintings and sculpture, photographs, rare books, letters, manuscripts and more that offer a well-rounded look at the African American experience and provide new perspectives on the nation’s history and culture. Learn more at hmh.org/Kinsey.
HMH’s Lester and Sue Smith Campus is located at 5401 Caroline Street in Houston’s historic museum district. The Museum is closed Mondays except Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $22 for adults; $16 for seniors (ages 65+) and AARP members; free for active-duty military and their families Armed Forces Day, May 18, through Labor Day, September 2, 2024; always free for children and students through age 18 and college students with valid student ID; and free to all visitors Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Bagel Shop @ The Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Parking is available at the Museum’s adjacent lot for $8 for a four-hour period. Tickets are available exclusively online. For more information, visit hmh.org/visit.
Holocaust Museum Houston uses the lessons of the Holocaust to teach the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy. Ranked as the nation’s fourth largest Holocaust museum and the first to be fully bilingual in English and Spanish, the organization has broadened its mission as a superregional hub for Holocaust education and a national voice for human rights and social justice.
