Oklahoma authorities have requested the public’s help in identifying an individual who vandalized a mural tracing the history of Tulsa’s Greenwood district at the end of last month, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
The “History in the Making” (2021) vinyl mural, made by Oklahoma-based artist Skip Hill in collaboration with Tulsa graffiti artist Chris “Sker” Rogers, depicts residents of the city’s historic “Black Wall Street,” which was targeted by Klan-led White mobs during one of the country’s worst racial terror attacks, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The riots resulted in the deaths of an estimated 300 Black residents and the razing of more than 1,200 homes, businesses, and community centers.
On Tuesday, November 12, the city’s police department posted screenshots from surveillance footage on Facebook that showed a person wearing a dark hoodie and an orange backpack peeling off the public artwork from the brick wall. The incident initially occurred shortly after midnight on October 27, leaving the work shredded with a long, horizontal gash. The police department has urged the public to contact the city’s crime stoppers unit with any information about the case.
“More than anything else, I feel just a really strong sense of grief for the loss to the community,” Hill told local reporters after the incident.
Created for the centennial of the 1921 massacre, the public artwork is a colorful homage to Greenwood’s vibrant history and resilient community, who rebuilt the devastated district after the attacks in spite of racist zoning laws and no financial assistance from insurance companies.
The work features community members including educators, World War I veterans, and transportation entrepreneurs such as Simon Berry, who is shown standing next to his open-cockpit biplane. Commissioned by the Black-owned banking platform Greenwood, the mural is located on the side of a business strip at 111 North Greenwood Avenue and is a popular stop for visitors during local tours of the neighborhood.
Hill told reporters that he plans to restore the mural.
“What hurts me is when I think about the kids who would stand in front of it as their mom or dad take a picture of them,” the artist said.
