black wall street circle cinema
A few short years after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Greenwood’s homes and businesses came back. This photograph shows a parade held in the Oklahoma neighborhood during the 1930s or '40s. (Photo by Greenwood Cultural Center / Getty Images)
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The new short documentary will play on Saturday July 17 as part of the 2021 Circle Cinema Film Festival in an effort to promote community engagement and volunteerism, with a photo exhibit on display from July 7 – August 6.
black wall street circle cinema
A few short years after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Greenwood’s homes and businesses came back. This photograph shows a parade held in the Oklahoma neighborhood during the 1930s or ’40s. (Photo by Greenwood Cultural Center / Getty Images)
A few short years after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Greenwood’s homes and businesses came back. This photograph shows a parade held in the Oklahoma neighborhood during the 1930s or ’40s. (Photo by Greenwood Cultural Center / Getty Images)

TULSA, Okla.— The non-profit Circle Cinema will show the new short documentary “Rebuilding Black Wall Street: My life” on Saturday July 17, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., as part of the 2021 Circle Cinema Film Festival.

The film, a Greenwood Art Project from filmmaker TheRese Anderson-Aduni, is made from a collection of home movies discovered by her father, the late Rev. Dr. Harold M. Anderson, and family. Tickets will be available on a pay-what-you-can model at CircleCinema.org.

Moreover, a selection of photos from the film will be on display in the Circle Cinema gallery from Wednesday July 7 – Friday August 6. All Circle Cinema gallery exhibits are free and open to the public.

Depicting life in Greenwood after the massacre

The film depicts slices of life from families who stayed in Greenwood and rebuilt after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Anderson-Aduni also sees the film as a chance to spark community engagement and volunteerism.

“As the Yoruba proverb goes, ‘When the door is closed, you must learn to slide across the crack of the sill,’” she said. Seeing the everyday life of Greenwood in the past may act as a beacon of light to those looking for ways to help continue the revitalization of their community. 

“Rebuilding Black Wall Street: My life” has a runtime of 28 minutes and will be followed by a Q&A with Anderson-Aduni and other community leaders. The screening is part of the Greenwood Art Project in association with Women of the Villages, LLC, Harold M. Anderson Trust Archives, & Getty Images Inc with support from the North Tulsa Historical Society.

Producers hope attendees will be able to help identify people depicted in the film so their names can be attached to the film when it is sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (Kenneth E. Behring Center) for posterity. For more about the identification process, visit womenofthevillages.org.

The film is presented as part of the 2021 Circle Cinema Film Festival. From Thursday July 15 – Monday July 19 Circle Cinema will showcase new films and documentaries alongside some classic favorites, all with strong Oklahoma connections. More information about the Festival, including details on special guests and tickets, will be available soon at CircleCinema.org.

The Black Wall Street Times is a news publication located in Tulsa, Okla. and Atlanta, Ga. At The BWSTimes, we focus on elevating the stories of our beloved Greenwood community, elevating the stories of...