A Case for Turning Tulsa Into the Next Big Tech Hub

Split in two by a highway—as communities of color often are—the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was once known as America’s Black Wall Street. At the start of the 20th century, Greenwood was home to one of America’s most affluent Black communities, including a notable density of doctors, lawyers, bankers, and entrepreneurs. I didn’t fully appreciate the neighborhood’s significance when I pulled up to the Greenwood Cultural Center during my first visit to Tulsa in January 2019. With its quiet streets and empty parking lots, Greenwood seemed like so many of the places I’d been to before. But small commemorative plaques on the sidewalks where businesses once stood hinted at an overlooked and extraordinary history. I was there because the George Kaiser Family Foundation had invited me to town to consider working with them on an economic development project. GKFF is a multibillion-dollar philanthropy that combats intergenerational poverty in Tulsa, making it one of the largest found ... Read full article.