Empowering Black Wealth in the Shadow of the Tulsa Race Massacre

The Tulsa Race Massacre was and remains a dark and tragic disgrace for Oklahoma and the entire United States. Black citizens were killed, thousands were left homeless, and 35 blocks of the wealthy community known as Black Wall Street were burned to the ground during the attack. The accumulation of vast wealth among the residents of Black Wall Street seemed a motivating factor for the intentional destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses. This article suggests that the massacre and the wealth destruction that followed present a quintessential example of Black Americans being prevented from wealth protection and transfer because of the very fact that they possessed wealth. Racial inequality in early twentieth century life seemed to manifest its very existence in those events in Tulsa in 1921, as Black wealth was destroyed through terrible acts of government-sanctioned violence. This article examines how the laws of wealth transfer can facilitate the intergenerational transfer of Black family wealth and empower future generations when wise financial and estate planning is supported by the rule of law and made advantageous by and to Black families