OKLAHOMA CITY – For decades, when it was discussed at all, the killing of hundreds of people in a prosperous black business district nearly a century ago was referred to as the Tulsa race riot.
Under new Oklahoma standards developed by teachers, students are urged to consider the differences between labeling it a “massacre” or a “riot,” which is how it's still described in state laws.
They're also encouraged to research the stories of survivors and learn their firsthand accounts of the 1921 violence. “If that’s taught correctly, then any freshman has a context for how and why this kind of thing can happen in the United States of America,” said Aaron Baker, a history teacher in the Putnam City school district in Oklahoma City.