Greenwood, the legendary business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma has rightfully so become a household name. From the Gurley Hotel to Union Grocery Store, the self-sufficient Black community now known as “Black Wall Street” represents the pinnacle of African American entrepreneurship, determination and innovation.
Unfortunately, it was destroyed by an angry White mob during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The massacre killed hundreds of innocent people and destroyed 35 square blocks that represent the blood, sweat and tears of some of our country’s most disenfranchised residents. Today, the midwestern location is a popular tourist destination and hub for Black history, culture and economic development.
We love celebrating Greenwood and only hope that it continues to get the recognition it deserves. What we don’t love and quite frankly detest? The fact that we collectively refer to Black Wall Street in the singular tense; as though there was only one when in fact, during the late 1800s through the early 1960s, there were hundreds of thriving Black Wall Streets in America. One important albeit sad reason for this were Jim Crow Laws which prevented Black people from being welcomed in the same stores, restaurants, schools, hotels and more as their White counterparts.
Instead of asking for permission to sit at the table, many of our ancestors boldly built their own. They built tables, chairs, homes, banks…you name it. The gumption of our forefathers and mothers to not only start lucrative businesses in many cases merely a couple of decades post-slavery but to use their revenue to pour back into their communities. The Great Migration fueled these Black Wall Streets to spread across the country beyond the south to the Northeast and the West Coast.
Since all things Black Excellence and Generational Wealth are not simply trending topics for us, we’re celebrating 9 other impressive Black Wall Streets across the United States. We never learned about these Black business hubs created by people who faced unthinkable odds in our American History classes, but they absolutely represent the quintessential American Dream. Systemic racism disguised as urban renewal (major highway constructions and such) and White rage like the Tulsa massacre destroyed most of these communities but we will continue to say their names and honor the brilliant minds who built them.
BLACK BOTTOM, DETROIT, MICHIGANWith more than 350 booming businesses from doctors and dentists to restaurants and clubs, Black Bottom, and specifically Hastings Street, became known as the city’s major artery for the African American economy. Notable residents included Ralph Bunche, United Nations official and the first African American to earn a Nobel Peace Prize, Charles Diggs Jr., who became Michigan’s first Black U.S. House member in 1955 and iconic actress and recording artist, Della Reese. Contrary to what most would assume, Black Bottom’s name was derived from the area’s rich, dark soil, not the residents who lived there.
BRONZEVILLE, CHICAGO, ILLINOISLocated on Chicago’s South Side, Bronzeville was once considered the city’s Black Metropolis. In 1908, James Binga established Binga Bank, providing mortgage and small business loans to Black residents. 35th Street was Bronzeville’s prime location. Among the businesses of note are the Overton Hygienic Building, a combination store, office and manufacturing space commissioned by entrepreneur Anthony Overton in 1922. The influential Chicago Defender, a Black-focused newspaper with a nationwide circulation was based in the area. Bronzeville transformed into an entertainment mecca for African Americans at night. There were numerous nightclubs and all-night restaurants throughout the district, including the Dreamland Café, the Royal Gardens (later Lincoln Gardens) and the Elite Club.
CENTRAL AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIAFrom the 1920s through the 1950s, Central Avenue in South Los Angeles was the historic, cultural and economic heart of the city’s African American community. Known as the “West Coast Harlem” it was a thriving hub for jazz, nightlife, and business, particularly around the Dunbar Hotel, where legends like Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole performed. Central Avenue remains a significant cultural landmark in South LA.
FREEDMEN’S TOWN, HOUSTON, TEXASOften referred to as the “child of Juneteenth”, Freedmen’s Town, located in Houston’s Fourth Ward, is the city’s first and most significant historic Black neighborhood, established by formerly enslaved people after Juneteenth. It flourished as a thriving economic center with more than 400 Black-owned businesses, serving as the hub for 95% of Houston’s Black middle class, despite the area’s swampy foundation.
FOURTH AVENUE DISTRICT, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMAA bubbling center for popular hotels, restaurants, and entertainment, this district was a focal point for the city’s Black community. Key landmarks between 15th Street to 18th Street North include the Alabama Penny Savings Bank, Carver Theatre and the Masonic Temple. The district is adjacent to the 16th Street Baptist Church, making it a critical part of the nation’s civil rights history.
HARLEM, NEW YORK CITYUptown, Uptown! Harlem USA is commonly connected to the legendary Harlem Renaissance known for fostering creatives like Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes and Aaron Douglas from the 1920s to the mid-1930s. Entertainment venues like the Cotton Club, real estate firms such as the Afro-American Realty Company, and retail organizations including the Colored American Retail Company helped provide essential services and built this Manhattan community up as a hub for Black ownership (see Striver’s Row) and innovation.
HAYTI DISTRICT, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINAHayti is a post-Reconstruction Black enclave that thrived through much of the 20th century. Anchored by Parrish Street, Hayti was home to hundreds of booming Black-owned businesses including North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance. Founded in 1898, it became the largest Black-owned business in the world. Other standout businesses are the Biltmore Hotel and the Regal Theater. Key leaders of the district include entrepreneurs like John Merrick, Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore (who became Durham’s first Black physician in 1888) and Charles Clinton Spaulding. Fun fact: Hayti was named in the late 19th century to honor Haiti, the first independent Black republic in the Western Hemisphere.
JACKSON WARD, RICHMOND, VASometimes called the “Harlem of the South”, Jackson Ward’s Second Street became a bustling center of Black commerce, featuring insurance companies, banks, and businesses that served Richmond’s African American community. Maggie L. Walker, a pioneering figure of the district, chartered the Saint Luke Penny Bank in 1903. This is the first U.S. bank chartered by a woman. That’s right: The first woman to charter a bank in the United States was Black! Her home is now a National Historic Site.
SEVENTH STREET, WEST OAKLAND, CALIFORNIAIn the 1940s and early 1950s, Seventh Street became a nationally praised cultural haven for African Americans. Jazz and blues musicians from across the country performed in the neighborhood at clubs and lounges producing a sound that folks began to call the West Coast Blues. The historic 13 block stretch is fondly associated with cultural giants like poet and author Maya Angelou and club owner and philanthropist Esther Mabry. Mabry’s most memorable establishment, The Orbit Room, hosted the likes of Al Green, B.B. King, Etta James and Tina Turner.
