#10: Black Birds in the Sky

 "Someone called to me to 'Get out of the street with that child or you both will be killed.' I felt it was suicide to remain in the building, for it would surely be destroyed and death in the streets was preferred, for we expected to be shot down at any moment."

Black Birds in the Sky
The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Brandy Colbert

Year Published: 2021

Pages: 224

Genres: YA nonfiction, American history, Black history

Topics: Tulsa Race Massacre, racism, Black history, race riots, Oklahoma history, Jim Crow

Recognition

    YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Honor Book, 2022

Summary

In the early 20th century, two Black business named O.W. Gurley and J.B. Bradford settled in north Tulsa, Oklahoma, and began opening and investing businesses. Their goal was to build a community friendly to Black professionals, businesspeople, and entrepreneurs, and their work quickly paid off. By 1920, the neighborhood—dubbed the Greenwood District—had become one of the most prosperous Black communities in the United States.

On Memorial Day 1921, however, all that changed. An incident with a white elevator operator led to the arrest of a young Black man. A local paper quickly published the news—and perhaps goaded on white readers to take the law into their own hands—drawing a lynch mob of thousands to the county courthouse. When a group of armed Black men arrived to protect the jail and its Black inmate,  the mob let loose on the Greenwood District.

What followed was one of the worst race massacres in American history. The white mob tore through Greenwood, killing indiscriminately and burning homes and businesses. A machine gun was set up on the roof of a building to fire at Black people in the streets. Airplanes flew overhead, reportedly dropping incendiary devices. Dozens to hundreds were killed, and survivors were rounded up and forced into internment centers, even after the violence had ended. And yet the massacre was almost lost to history, as people tried to bury its memory for nearly a century.

Black Birds in the Sky and Me

I was very unfamiliar with the subgenre of YA nonfiction, and I didn't really know where to start looking for good books to read. I saw that Black Birds in the Sky was an Honor Book for the YALSA Nonfiction Award. Like many Americans, I only first learned about the Tulsa massacre when it was featured in the 2019 TV series Watchmen. I still didn't know much about it, so I decided to take this opportunity to learn more.

I was impressed by Colbert's ability to not only build an account of the massacre itself but also provide context for it. In only about 200 pages, she addresses the history of Oklahoma, Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow, the establishment of the Greenwood District and what life was like there, the massacre itself, and its aftermath. The book is very accessible and, despite the brutal subject matter, reads quickly. The book also includes photographs of the burning Greenwood District, along with pictures of prominent Greenwood residents and maps of Oklahoma and Tulsa.

I think Black Birds in the Sky is a fantastic introduction—for readers of any age—to a dark and still too little-known episode in American history. Reading it made me very interested in learning more about some specifics of life under Jim Crow in the first half of the 20th century. I also became hungry for stories of resilience and success as an answer to the tragedy of the massacre.

Teaching Considerations

Late Middle Grade to Young Adult: The language and ideas in Black Birds in the Sky are accessible and easy to grasp, and I think it would be an appropriate introduction to the Tulsa Race Massacre for many ages. If I had to choose a range, I would say between 7th and 9th grades (ages 12-15), but I think Colbert's book would be truly beneficial for people of any age to read.

Whole Class Read: Black Birds in the Sky is really the kind of book that an entire class would benefit from reading together. The importance of its subject mater and its accessibility make it a perfect opportunity to discuss a troubling episode in American history together and place it in a broader and richer context.

Newspaper Articles and Profiles: Newspapers, both Black and white, are an important part of the story in Black Birds in the Sky. As an exercise in feature or profile writing, students could either choose one person in the book and write a profile of them or describe the event itself in a feature. This would give students an opportunity to practice summarizing and identifying main ideas, and it could be accompanied by a critical discussion of objectivity and bias in the news media.

Sensitive Content: Black Birds in the Sky is the story of a massacre. It includes descriptions of real violence against Black people, not just in the Tulsa massacre but in lynchings and other race riots, as well as the forced removal of Native people from the South in the early 1800s. Sexual assault is also discussed. As a historical account, the book also includes some racial slurs and outdated racial terms.

 Read-Aloud Passages

Note: Some of these passages contain racial slurs and outdated racial terms.

•  "May 30, 1921" (pp. 13-17)
• This short chapter describes the events on the day before the massacre began that precipitated it. Black Birds in the Sky contains three short chapters with dated headings that describe the events of the massacre itself. They read a little more like a narrative than the other chapters, which provide more historical context, and therefore provide a tenser and more engaging read.
  
  
• Shortly after 10:00 p.m., a group of seventy-five Black men,  ...  War had been declared on any and every Black person in Tulsa. (pp. 99-101)
• This is the description of the beginning of the massacre late at night between May 31 and June 1. It's the central event in the book and one of the most visceral, creating a sense of real terror. But it is a way to grab the attention of people who may be unfamiliar with the Tulsa massacre.
  
  
• Approximately one hundred Oklahoma National Guard Troops  ...  "still hummed and darted here and there with the agility of natural birds of the air." (pp. 139-141)
• The violence escalates throughout June 1 as white rioters tear through the Greenwood District, setting up a machine gun and flying planes overhead. This is a horrifying passage, but it highlights the scope and terror of the massacre.

Liked Black Birds in the Sky? Try These:

• The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 by Tim Madigan (2001) (or try the Young Readers Edition, adapted by Hilary Beard)
• March Trilogy by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, & Nate Powell (2013-2016)
• Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith, Dawud Anyabwile, & Derrick Barnes (2022)