Many are not familiar or will not recognize the first airplane attack on American soil was not 9/11 and the Twin Towers. It happened when the Black Wall Street section of Tulsa, Oklahoma was bombed from the air and destroyed during the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921.

Believe it or not, it is true and modern day Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan took an opportunity on September 22, 2013 to apologize to the black people of Tulsa for the 1921 attacks. Specifically, he apologized for the police force at the time who either took part in the destruction of the city and murdering of the people or stood by and watched bigoted, racist, jealous white people do the same.

Chief Jordan spoke during the opening ceremony of the “Literacy, Legacy and Movement Day” in Tulsa on that day.

He said:

“I cannot apologize for the actions, inaction and dereliction that those individual officers and their chief exhibited during that dark time. But as your chief today, I can apologize for our police department. I am sorry and distressed that the Tulsa Police Department did not protect its citizens during those tragic days in 1921.

“I have heard things said like, ‘Well, that was a different time.’ That excuse does not hold water with me. I have been a Tulsa police officer since 1969 and I have witnessed scores of ‘different times.’ Not once did I ever consider that those changing times somehow relieved me of my obligation to uphold my oath of office and to protect my fellow Tulsans.”

After learning of the apology, many in the black community feel Chief Jordan is sincere in his regret and apology over the involvement of the Tulsa police force. However, these people also feel an apology hasn’t ever done much for the victims, but only serve as a comfort for the perpetrators.

Many in the black community want to know where is the righting of the wrong? Where is the check?

The businesses and empires that could have grown out of Black Wall Street over the past 94 years could have been epic.

The black unemployment rate and violence could be down across the community and so much more, not to mention the direct monetary dollars of those families whose businesses were destroyed.

An apology is nice, but where are the checks?

Black Wall Street was a prominent, black owned and developed business district and community we are still proud of today. Because of the rampant racism and brutality of white people at the time, blacks were forced to commune and work together.

They did. In fact, they built one of the most impressive economic centers the country has ever seen. There were over 600 black businesses with everything from movie theaters, grocery stores, hospitals, banks, bakeries and more to serve the black community.

As you can imagine, whites were jealous and used a false claim of a white woman being attacked by a porter to incite one of the most destructive race riots the country has seen….

and the police department was involved.