UNITED STATES— Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook plans to produce a documentary series about the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, as announced on Tuesday, June 9.
Westbrook will be the executive producer for the series, which is titled “Terror In Tulsa: The Rise And Fall Of Black Wall Street.” Westbrook will be collaborating with documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson and the production company Blackfin to complete this piece.
In a Tweet Westbrook posted recently, he stated,
“When I learned about the heartbreaking events that happened in Tulsa nearly 100 years ago, I knew this was a story I wanted to tell. It’s upsetting that the atrocities that transpired then, are still so relevant today. It’s important we uncover the buried stories of African Americans in this country. We must amplify them now more than ever if we want to create change moving forward.”
Westbrook is referring to the 1921 attack on a predominately black neighborhood, Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was done at the hands of a white mob. The angry mob looted and burned homes and businesses. There were 36 deaths reported at the time, however, a 2001 Oklahoma commission said the correct number of deaths during that attack was most likely closer to 100-300 people.
Westbrook played 11 years with the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Rockets in July 2019.
