TULSA, Okla. — More than 200 people gathered to celebrate the 11th Annual Black Wall Street Heritage and History Festival. The focus of this year’s event was Black Towns Matter.
There used to be more than 50 all-Black towns in Oklahoma, now there are 14. The mayors of those towns came out to be recognized and talk about their town and what they are doing there.
Billie Parker, the CEO of the Black Wall Street Market, said she started this event because she learned there was so much history in Tulsa and it was important to her to showcase what the Black community is doing while incorporating education and community.
The event took place at the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences, near Edison and Quannah, on Saturday afternoon. There were vendors, singers, dancers and speakers at the event.
“It’s raining outside and God provided and brought people along, he provided and we’re here celebrating and that’s what I like, us celebrating together, learning our history and heritage, learning all about things going on in our community,” Parker said.