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Beyond Tulsa, Overlooked Race Massacres Draw New Focus

Efforts to teach the histories are gaining momentum even as some states try to limit how racism is discussed in schools.

By Mike Ives June 29, 2021

The Elaine massacre of 1919 is believed to be the deadliest episode of racial violence in Arkansas history. But when the historian Brian Mitchell began researching it a few years ago, he met teachers in the state who didn’t know about it or weren’t sure how to explain it to their students.

“Teachers who were having a difficult time talking about difficult histories didn’t know where to start,” he said.

So Professor Mitchell, an expert on African American history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, helped create a virtual exhibit about the massacre and packed it with teaching materials.

Twelve Black men were convicted of the murder of three white men during the violence in Elaine, Ark., in 1919. The Supreme Court later vacated six of the convictions.
Twelve Black men were convicted of the murder of three white men during the violence in Elaine, Ark., in 1919. The Supreme Court later vacated six of the convictions. Credit…Courtesy of the Arkansas State Archives

But the Tulsa race massacre isn’t the only one getting a fresh look. In some American schools, museums and other institutions, events like Elaine are being discussed for the first time.  Read HERE.

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