Black Wall Street Times launches campaign to expand newsroom

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TULSA, Okla. — The Black Wall Street Times (BWST) has published Black voices and centered the Black experience online for four-years, building on the philosophy that “access is the new civil right”. Now, we’re seeking support through a Kickstarter campaign to produce a special-edition magazine commemorating the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Funding will also allow for a critical expansion of the newsroom operation.

Black media is critical in shifting power and equity to Black communities. BWST shines light on injustices in education, healthcare, economic inequalities and wrongful criminal sentencing often overlooked locally and nationally.  Expanding the newsroom will ensure the national Black experience is fully documented by our team of journalists and artists.

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This is a monumental year for BWST and the entire Greenwood community. The history of the massacre has not historically been included in K-12 curriculums, but recently filmed documentaries and media coverage have reignited national interest in Tulsa’s dark history. BWST has quickly become one of the nation’s most searched publications covering Black stories.

Traffic to the BWST website and social media platforms has continued to build exponentially. Millions of readers have relied on the journalism from BWST since 2017.

The magazine is available for pre-order through the Kickstarter campaign, which will run through June 1, 2021. Other rewards include:

• Copies of both the 2020 and forthcoming 2021 newspapers.
• Sponsorship of 10 news-boxes designed by local artists, and distributed around Tulsa.
• A downloadable blueprint to build a BWST news-box anywhere in the world.
• Sponsorship of both newspaper and magazine publications.
• The official BWST shirt, hat, and coffee mug.

BWST Editor-in-Chief Nehemiah Frank said the following: 

“The Black Wall Street Times commemorative magazine will feature 100 years of resilience. This unique project will include a history of the Greenwood community – destroyed in 1921 but rebuilt in the years that followed. We will also highlight the second destruction caused by gentrification. We will not only commemorate the destruction of families and livelihoods in the Greenwood District but will also celebrate the resilience of Black families and entrepreneurs who are steadily reclaiming space in this city. Notably, we look forward to highlighting members of the community who are making positive impacts today. Our publication, rooted in activism, is best positioned to highlight the racial inequities that our community continues to face today. We hit the ground running at the start of 2021, and we’re excited to bring you ‘Greenwood 100’ in time for the centennial year.”

Contributions of any size are welcome. A full list of rewards for contributors are outlined on the Kickstarter campaign page.