Independence Day Revamped
Credit: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Princetta R. Newman
While we already told y’all when our “independence day” really is, if you look around as of late it doesn’t feel real independent, now does it? Independence means to be free from any outside authority, not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence. In unpacking that, culturally many have found difficulty separating themselves from institutional and systemic harm built into American capitalism. Working cyclical jobs where fragments of your dreams get lost in managing the day-to-day cost of living and funding someone else’s dream, can feel like you aren’t living the “American Dream” which was really designed for some not all. One of the most notable moments of economic resilience in American history is “Black Wall Street” - which was in Greenwood - a then freedom colony in Tulsa, OK which was founded in 1906 by O.W. Gurley. He purchased 40 acres and created a safe haven for Black people attempting to create better for themselves. The town developed due to entrepreneurs in all areas including financing, hospitality, and wellness. Greenwood was able to create and sustain wealth due to being able to circulate residential dollars 36 times within the city before it left, boasting economic wealth or stability for almost all of its residents, regardless of gender. The city became so successful in fact that white neighbors in surrounding Tulsa felt that Black success and influence were not only audacious and unfair but should be theirs. In 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre occurred fueled by an exaggerated event and opportunistic propaganda, which resulted in the total destruction of Greenwood. The community of Greenwood demonstrated its resilience by choosing to rebuild even with city and county governments actively working against them. In 1925, they were able to rebuild enough to hold a conference for the National Negro Business League for Black entrepreneurs and leaders. While Greenwood ultimately fell in the 1940’s to urbanization, it has been a long-standing example of true independence, entrepreneurship, and resilience.
Here at Only Thoughts of Ownership, you will find entrepreneurship, independence, and ownership built into the framework of the organization. Coming from such history as The Black Wall Street, which resonates much more in its demonstration of independence, you can see Oliver ensured entrepreneurship was ingrained in every service we provide. Particularly, within BVO-YOU Academy we look at ownership and entrepreneurship in a more significant way - beyond self-actualization and self-regulation, we want students to take action and transmute their dreams into economic power for themselves. We advocate hard for ownership because we know our students have so much to offer the world, and we believe students and their communities should be the one who benefits from it the most through entrepreneurial pathways.
BVO-YOU Academy is comparable to Greenwood in a fundamental way: There’s a saying “Those who aren’t at the table are on the menu”- Well, we won’t have to worry about being at the table if we create the table. If we can teach students and others entrepreneurial skills- their path to true independence will be at their feet. So this independence day consider that dream you have been putting off or how/where your dollars circulate or even that young entrepreneur in your home. Greenwood was able to keep their money in the city for almost a year’s time before their dollars left the city, each year from 1906-1921. It's time to run it back.
Resources:
Bloomberg Quicktake Originals. (2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRIGiHiPWCw
Johnson, H. Oklahoma Historical Society. Greenwood District. Retrieved on June 29, 2022.