HBO's 'Watchmen' depicts a deadly Tulsa race massacre that was all too real

[SummerMadness]

HBO's 'Watchmen' depicts a deadly Tulsa race massacre that was all too real

HBO's new series "Watchmen" opens with scenes of a race massacre in Oklahoma: Black people shot in cold blood. Black people fleeing businesses on fire. Airplanes flying low and dropping bombs. A newspaper lying amid the burning rubble in the street with the headline: "Lynch Negro."

The horrific scene seems like a work of Hollywood creative fiction in some alternate universe. But the carnage actually happened nearly a century ago when a white mob in Tulsa descended on Greenwood, a black business district so prosperous it was dubbed "Black Wall Street."

 

[Hank77]

I couldn't read the Wash. Post's full article; I don't have a subscription, but I found this with photographs.

More historical background.
https://www.history.com/news/black-wall-street-tulsa-race-massacre

 

[Go Braves]

HBO's 'Watchmen' depicts a deadly Tulsa race massacre that was all too real

Yes. I was surprised to learn about it in the 11th grade. A little late considering all the US history classes taken before then. I'd taken honors, AP classes too, so they weren't lazy in nature really.

I saw the show last night. I admit I'm confused by it, mainly on account of not paying close enough attn since I was also finishing up a bunch of things.

The Tulsa massacre scene was only in the beginning. Brutal as heck. Horrifying. Really well filmed.

Then they jump to 2019, but some time between Tulsa and now things totally changed. So the 2019 of the show isn't our 2019. Gonna have to watch that one again.

I would have preferred had they stuck to the Tulsa massacre, showed more of the immediate aftermath of that. That's what I was expecting at the beginning then they jumped ahead.

 

[SummerMadness]

I would have preferred had they stuck to the Tulsa massacre, showed more of the immediate aftermath of that. That's what I was expecting at the beginning then they jumped ahead.

I suspect they're going to fill out more of the details as the show goes on. They appear to be showing things out of sequence, which seems to be the style of the creator, Damon Lindelof, who was also creator of Lost.

I suspect the old man in the wheel chair is the child we saw in the flashbacks.

 

[Go Braves]

I suspect they're going to fill out more of the details as the show goes on. They appear to be showing things out of sequence, which seems to be the style of the creator, Damon Lindelof, who was also creator of Lost.

I suspect the old man in the wheel chair is the child we saw in the flashbacks.

Yes I'm sure you're right.

I never watched enough of Lost to follow beyond that they'd crash landed on an island.

Still it'd be nice if there was a whole show just about the Tulsa race massacre. I think it's shameful so few folks know diddly squat about it.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Yes I'm sure you're right.

I never watched enough of Lost to follow beyond that they'd crash landed on an island.

Still it'd be nice if there was a whole show just about the Tulsa race massacre. I think it's shameful so few folks know diddly squat about it.

There's a lot of stuff people don't know about. I didn't know redlining was a thing until a couple years ago and I'm kinda "woke".

 

[Go Braves]

There's a lot of stuff people don't know about. I didn't know redlining was a thing until a couple years ago and I'm kinda "woke".

Oh heck yes that's true. I do think that with the Tulsa race massacre being the worst racial violence in US history it's all the more shameful it's not widely taught about. Folks shouldn't be learning about it for the first time on account of a show on HBO but I'm pretty sure many are.