Trudy's Why

Tulsa, OK holds a special place in my heart, interwoven into the fabric of my childhood memories. It's where I cherished Christmases with Granny and Pops and spent hot summers at the pool with my cousins. 

My mother and her eight siblings grew up in the northern part of the city, in a humble two-bedroom house. Even in my youth, I recognized this neighborhood as predominantly Black and underserved—a stark reality that persists today. 

Now, I understand Tulsa as a city still bearing visible scars from the repeated economic oppression of African Americans. This oppression has manifested violently, from slavery to the devastating 1921 Race Massacre, where white rioters destroyed the thriving Black community of Greenwood. It has also been systematic, evident in practices like redlining, urban renewal, predatory financial schemes, and racial disparities within the justice system. Each of these injustices has weighed heavily on the African American community in Tulsa, and despite the passage of time, neither my family nor the community as a whole has been made whole. 

This is the history of my family and the context from which my advocacy for reparations emerges. Can you guess which adorable youngster is me?