Tulsa football’s Legacy Game honors the history of Black Wall Street

Tulsa football will play East Carolina on Saturday afternoon in the school’s first annual Legacy Game to honor Black Wall Street.

When the Tulsa Golden Hurricane play the East Carolina Pirates this Saturday in Tulsa, Okla., it is also the culmination of a five-year journey for cornerbacks coach, Aaron Fletcher. One team will lose, and another will win, but this game is more than merely a contest between two AAC conference foes.

When the Golden Hurricane and Pirates play at Chapman Stadium Friday night, the university will honor Tulsa’s historic Greenwood district’s legacy and impact and the tragedy of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. The game and everything that happens before the game, at halftime, and after the game results from a five-year journey of Fletcher.

The culmination of an unexpected journey

When Fletcher was hired on Tulsa’s staff in 2015, it was the start of a journey that came unexpectedly. Fletcher told Tulsa World, “Tulsa reminds me a lot of Austin, Texas, where I’m from,” he said. “You’ve got the hill country. It’s real green—a beautiful place. Seeing Route 66, I had somebody talk to me about the music scene here back in the day. “Then they went from talking about music to bringing up the race massacre.”

Growing up in Austin, Texas, Fletcher learned about domestic terrorism in Birmingham, Ala., growing up but had never heard of one of the most horrific acts of terrorism in the United States history. As the Texas native’s career at Tulsa continued, so did learning about the Tulsa race massacre.

May 31 and June 1, 1921: 18 hours of terror

The Greenwood district was a safe place for African Americans in Tulsa. This was a neighborhood where blacks could receive services that were denied in other areas of the city. The result was a bustling, affluent business district with everything from dry cleaners to banks and even schools. Over an 18-hour period, 800 people needed medical attention, 300 people died and 35 city blocks went up in flames. There was even an air-strike called in to bomb the neighborhood.

This was because Sarah Page, a young elevator operator, alleged Dick Rowland, a young black man, had sexually assaulted her in the Drexel Building elevator. Rowland was arrested and jailed, but many white Tulsans did not wish to see the legal process play out. Black Tulsans armed themselves at the threat of a lynch mob coming for Rowland. White Tulsans believed false information that blacks were from out of town were coming armed.

A scuffle broke out in front of the courthouse between black and white mobs. As Black Tulsans retreated to Greenwood, White Tulsans followed. The result was local law enforcement deputizing many white Tulsans as they looted and burned houses along the way. At the end of those 18 hours, over 9,000 residents were homeless, and over 200 million dollars of property damage in today’s dollars was done.

More than an athlete, more than a coach

In January 2019, Fletcher accompanied Tulsa cornerback Akayeb Evans to the Black Athlete Summit; Evans gave a presentation called, “The Power of Being more than an Athlete.” The presentation sparked something in Fletcher. “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m more than a coach.'”

After the presentation, Fletcher found his purpose. The cornerbacks coach embarked on a journey to connect the university, its players, and coaches to one of the brightest and most tragic points in the city of Tulsa’s history. The result, the First Annual Legacy of Black Wall Street game. The team and coaches will go and visit Tulsa’s historic Greenwood district.

During the game, there will be video tributes and videos of people in the community talking about the impact of Black Wall Street.

This is not a one-time event. The Legacy Game will take place every second home game of the year. Fletcher desires to have events the entire week leading up to the game when the pandemic allows.

This is what happens with the information that meets purpose. We can all take a lesson from Fletcher. More than a coach indeed.