Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

by Brandy Colbert

A searing new work of nonfiction from award-winning author Brandy Colbert about the history and legacy of one of the most deadly and destructive acts of racial violence in American the Tulsa Race Massacre. Winner, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.

In the early morning of June 1, 1921, a white mob marched across the train tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and into its predominantly Black Greenwood District—a thriving, affluent neighborhood known as America's Black Wall Street. They brought with them firearms, gasoline, and explosives.

In a few short hours, they'd razed thirty-five square blocks to the ground, leaving hundreds dead. The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in US history. But how did it come to pass? What exactly happened? And why are the events unknown to so many of us today?

These are the questions that award-winning author Brandy Colbert seeks to answer in this unflinching nonfiction account of the Tulsa Race Massacre. In examining the tension that was brought to a boil by many factors—white resentment of Black economic and political advancement, the resurgence of white supremacist groups, the tone and perspective of the media, and more—a portrait is drawn of an event singular in its devastation, but not in its kind. It is part of a legacy of white violence that can be traced from our country's earliest days through Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movement in the mid–twentieth century, and the fight for justice and accountability Black Americans still face today.

The Tulsa Race Massacre has long failed to fit into the story Americans like to tell themselves about the history of their country. This book, ambitious and intimate in turn, explores the ways in which the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre is the story of America—and by showing us who we are, points to a way forward.

YALSA Honor Award for Excellence in Nonfiction

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Race, Social Justice, Historical, African American

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2021

About the author

Brandy Colbert was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks. She lives and writes in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giveaway Win!

A Must Read!

I first learned about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre a couple years ago and I was ashamed that I didn't already know about it. But I'm not alone in not knowing about it.

Currently there's alot of talk about politicians and school boards banning Critical Race Theory and really anything that makes white people feel bad. The media is acting like this is brand new but it isn't. The only Black history we learn about in school is the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, the Civil War, George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr...That's about it. So this ain't new.

What's so upsetting to me is that my mother actively taught me Black history that my teachers probably didn't know about and even she didn't know about Tulsa. The vast majority of Americans hadn't heard of Tulsa until President 45 did something racist and called attention to both Tulsa and Juneteenth.

Black Birds in the Sky is a searing look at the events leading up to the Massacre, during and the aftermath of the Massacre. It's a hard read but it's important. We as thoughtful citizens must learn about the horrors of the past so that we can be prepared for when they happen again....and it will happen again.

A Must Read!

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to learn about the Tulsa Massacre, I suggest that you read “The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 by Tim Madigan, or even read the Wikipedia article about the event. While this book eventually gets to the Tulsa Massacre and Greenwood (the African American section of Tulsa), approximately 3/4 of the book deals with other topics. The author gives a survey of the history of slavery in America, Native Americans, the settlement of Oklahoma, lynching, other race riots and a lot of additional subjects. The author may have done a lot of research for this book, but apparently it wasn’t on Tulsa. In the Afterword, the author even shoehorns in the pandemic and the 2020 election. 2.5 stars

[Rachel L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, comprehensive look at the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Colbert covered history and events before to give context to the readers the state of the country and the frame of mind of its residents. I think this should be required reading in high schools, I honestly do. Not enough people know about this and it's a very important part of history in our country.

[Sahitya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually don’t wanna say much about this book except it’s an important part of history that needs to be remembered, so do give this book a try if you wanna know more about the community of Greenwood, Oklahoma, Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre. It’s a well researched and emotionally evocative book and I’m glad to have read it. And I would definitely take from it what the author emphasizes - history matters, stories matter, and it also matters who is telling these stories; also keep asking questions, never stop seeking the truth or sharing it.

[Taury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert is a NF book about the Tulsa Race Riots. The book starts out telling about historic (i hate how that sounds) lynchings in St Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, Mo. sadly, all 3 states are on the top 20 list of my dangerous cities in the USA. It mentioned Joplin lynching. (My hometown and current city). It went to Pierce City which is an hour S of me in Missouri and Vinita, Okla which is an hour W of me. So sad so much terribly sad history in this area. Most of these arrests and lynchings were invalid. Either did not happen or happened but pinned on a black man with case closed. The novel parallel Native American discrimination’s to black discrimination. The big Protestant white man never ceases to amaze me over their useless power that turned to power. The novel then went into the terrible Tulsa Race Massacre. The author did a great job on her research but also her presentation. She kept it going and interesting.

[Dr. Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading throughout the US, specifically in history classes.

Black Birds in the Sky is Brandy's non-fiction debut. At only 224 pages, this small book packs a powerful punch. It is full of research and weaves a vivid and graphic tale of the Tulsa Race Massacre as well as the times leading up to it. There is a graphic history of lynching that is included and it was incredibly hard to read at times. Because it's upsetting these things happened. It's even more upsetting how long these events have been suppressed for and the trauma unresolved for Black folks.

This book is powerfully written in that as a reader you relive the horror and terror of May 31-June 1st. I had tears in my eyes for the last 15% or so. Black Wall Street is an important piece of history and it shouldn't be forgotten or erased. Had this never happened I can't even imagine how successful it would be now. It certainly would've surpassed other white establishments had it been allowed to exist.

I am grateful this book exists and that it will help to educate future generations. I hope we get more books similar to this that bring Black history to life and the forefront. It deserves to be celebrated and taught in all its facets.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential YA nonfiction. Colbert crafts and immersive and painful reality of the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, weaving together the history of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Black history, and how what happened on June 1 echoes through today's world. Why was this incident hidden and "forgotten" for so long?

[Bobbieshiann · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS BOOK!! READ THIS BOOK!! READ THIS BOOK!! and make sure to REREAD it again!

[HaileyAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no words.

I was born and raised in the Tulsa area and I'd never even heard of these events until recently. It breaks my heart to think that I've been to this area and had no idea what took place there.

Everyone needs to read this. Whether you grew up in Tulsa, another city in Oklahoma, or anywhere, read this. This story needs to be known.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm worried for how this amazing book is going to be looked down on in Texas. But I'm going to do my best to make sure it gets in as many kids' hands as possible. This needs to be required reading in every state. I don't remember learning about this at all in school. These are things they definitely want to keep you from knowing smh

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love YA nonfiction because at its best it's just like this: easy to understand without the nuance being flattened, engaging to read, and stuffed full of context.

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is an event whose history was actively suppressed for decades—much like the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. In these events, white supremacists destroyed centers of Black power, murdering Black people and destroying businesses, homes and centers of livelihood, shutting down what was coined as Black Wall Street.

Definitely a book to read to learn about the lives of Black people affected by the Massacre, and the legacy of white supremacy permeating US history.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can it be that in my entire school upbringing, I never once heard of this? As a kid educated in the 60's-70's, I enjoyed poking the comfortable grownups around which I grew, with the cool, open-minded self-label, "colorblind", that I was (along with all my peeps) one who'd befriend and love anyone of any type, color, creed or sex. Mind you, in those days "sex" didn't mean gender. It meant men v women - in other words equal rights for me. A girl. So, yeah. I was colorblind. All types included. The diversity percentage of my life was probably right around 99.9% white. During my youngest years in the LA Schools, bused from hither and thither? Maybe 85% white. So, I've answered my own question. It's pretty clear why I'd never heard of this horrific instance of how quickly things can turn on a dime. In an elevator, with an event that didn't really happen.

I'm glad for all the revelations to citizens like me, who have been content with things "the way they are" - nothing's really wrong, there's just drama in the world. Evil is patient, and waits for ignorance, pride, greed and "tradition" to heap up and overtake reason and lawful application of rights. Reminders like this book, and all the books that help us remember and not bury our past. We did stuff. Lots of it to get where we are. As we climbed the shoulders of our ancestors to get to wonderful places, we climbed those same shoulders to find ourselves burdened with sins we may not have realized, but the fruits of which are still flatly thieved from others.

How can anyone defend even one moment of marching into a community and destroying it - laying waste to any and all for the simple reason that it was thriving, throbbing, rising faster than those around it? Citizens who were not causing harm, only living life. . .their success and joy giving rise to jealous outsiders to come in and quash every living hope, property stolen, destroyed, spirited off, repurposed for a white reason. Heart-breaking.

I'm too long on my soapbox. I'm grateful for the author, her writing, and truth telling. I'm sorry for the misuse of power, misuse of government, law and enforcement that hurt so many of Tulsa, Oklahoma that June day in 1921, and which hurt echoes on through this very day. And should.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so wish that this book could be in the hands of readers in time for this weekend’s centennial remembrance of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Colbert’s meticulous research and engaging voice shine a much-needed light on a horrific event in US history that has been kept in the shadows for way too long. Her afterword makes a compelling case for why it is so essential that we understand our history if we want to move forward as a nation.

Black Birds in the Sky will be released in October and should be in every high school library and public library.

Thank you, Balzer + Bray and NetGalley, for the electronic arc.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must buy for all middle and high school classroom and school libraries.
Well-written, engaging, truthful, and extremely well-researched.

[Books Amongst Friends · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narration/Audiobook: 4/5
Book/Overall Story: 5/5

It’s always shocking to hear about the amount of people who don’t know about this event, or just now learning about this major piece of history. Colbert succinctly handles this topic in a way that’s appropriate for the targeted grade, while still incorporating a full surrounding context for any reader to appreciate.

For me, this book is a must read and one I’d highly recommend parent have in their library for YA’s. It’s a read that will not only inform, but spark interest to look even further beyond its pages. As the author mentions, there’s still people today that are not only misinformed, but who currently denounce these events as if they never happened. Alongside systems that actively work to keep this information hidden from those who need to it the most. So I personally love that it’s on the shorter side because it will make the information even more accessible those readers who may feel intimidated by a traditional non fiction read.

Sadly, there are a lot of readers who don’t often pick up non fiction. Even more who avoid diving into heavier topics, especially when it comes to race & history. That’s why books like this are so necessary. This books has a tender tone that will easily capture an array of readers with its curiosity, insight, and honest approach. While short in length it’s extensive in its detail and research. The author executed her points perfectly, and found the balance of making the story, both informational and personal. I really enjoyed the inserts from Tulsa Race Massacre survivors and descendants, as well as the images provided.

In these pages Colbert does a great job of encouraging readers to become more informed. Not only reminding us the value of knowing one’s history, but the importance of taking a closer look at who is telling the story and the power in keeping our own stories alive.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about literally everything except the Tulsa Race Massacre. That said, there is a lot of other noteworthy history discussed, so still informative and a good read.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title comes from a horrifying image -- The bombs coming from airplanes above Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhoods were described, by one survivor, as looking like blackbirds falling from the sky.

This book will enrage opponents of 'CRT', because it tells the truth. The unvarnished truth...about Natives in America (and Oklahoma), and about African Americans in America (and Oklahoma). Colbert talks, especially, about the shameful history of lynching in America (and Oklahoma). All of this deep background sets us up for the Tulsa Race Massacre (interesting fact, terming it as a 'riot' was an excuse for insurance companies to deny claims from businesses that were destroyed and looted. Only one business received claims...one owned by a white person.

This book was written in the height of the pandemic, and Colbert writes with eloquence about the inequalities of Covid.

I listened to the Audible, and the last couple of hours were focused entirely on those few days in May and June, 1921, over a century ago. She includes the recent discoveries of unmarked graves discovered, the efforts of the city to bring healing to the community with the new Greenwood Center and park.

One interesting fact, JB Stafford, one of the leaders of Greenwood, graduated from Indiana University Law School!

We need to share this book widely. We need to add this book to school libraries. I joked about CRT...this books is NOT CRT...it's straight history...truth that is uncomfortable. Truth that must, must, must be heard.

[Kenya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book absolutely gutted me.

I picked up this book 1. Because I wanted to learn more about the Tulsa Race Massacre and 2. I'm a fan of Brandy Colbert. Both reasons were validated upon reading the book.

Brandy colbert masterfully crafted the story of how the massacre happened. Using the first few chapters to provide the context and then the later chapters to fully examine the events that happened and the aftermath really helped to drive the story home.

This is a heartbreaking and infuriating read.

One thing that stuck out to me was how much of the massacre/riot happened bc White Tulsans resented the community that Black Tulsans were able to create DESPITE the fact that it was created because of the exclusion of Black Tulsans from their communities.

I'm reminded of the Audre Lorde quote: "The Master's tools will never dismantle the Master's house" bc I believe that one thing this proved is that capitalism will never liberate Black people bc White Supremacy and capitalism work hand in hand in subverting Black people in America.

An excellent read through and through.

[Jo Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is heartbreaking, it is important, and it is a history we must remember and retell. I knew about the Tulsa Race Massacre, but Colbert prefaces the story with a more zoomed out history — the history of Oklahoma’s land races and racial riots, the history of the KKK, of lynching and of precious race riots. I learned much that I didn’t know before and the fact that this is YA made it really easy to understand. In the afterword, Colbert makes connections between these events in 1921 with the BLM movement and the Trump administration. Important, I think, to remember that the times we live in aren’t disconnected from the deeply troubling tragedies of the past.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost didn’t finish this book. I had high hopes for it and wanted to love it. I found the scope of history too long and the information about the actual Tulsa massacre too little. I didn’t finish the afterword because she spent too much time making connections between current/recent events and events of the past not even relevant to the book.

[Janae Mast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pretty old by the time I even knew anything about the Tulsa Massacre, and this book shed a lot more light for me on the whole history of and happening of the event. It’s so heartbreaking and terrible to read, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about Black Wall Street and the horrific destruction of it.

[BoringBookLover · Rating 5 out of 5]

The censorship of history and the outright refusal to take accountability from white people is infuriating and disgusting . The audacity from so many people within this book was ASTOUNDING. 🫠😩

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy it. Read it. Read it again. Learn from it. Let it really sink in. When you're moved, suggest it to others (loan it to others, if you're that type). Talk about it. Be better. Do better.

This amazing, non-fiction, historical book should be required reading for all high school students, as well as anyone lacking knowledge of Oklahoma/United States history. As an Oklahoma native, I am sad to say the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was never mentioned in my Oklahoma History class. Over the past few years, I have read other non-fiction and fiction books that cover the massacre, but this is the first non-fiction book I have read that pulls it all together and paints a picture of the build-up to and time after the massacre. One of my favorite podcasts regarding Native American history in the United States and Oklahoma is "This Land" by Rebecca Nagle. Ms. Nagle's podcast and, now, this book will be my top suggestions for anyone wanting factual information.

This book was full of United States/Oklahoma history leading up to the massacre and after. The author did phenomenal research and presented it in a direct fashion. Even though the content was emotional, Ms. Colbert made me want to keep reading/listening. I listened to the audiobook as well and the narrator, Kristyl Dawn Tift, was wonderful. It was great to hear Ms. Colbert's own words in her own voice at the end as well.

I will be reading this book again and taking notes on the dates the author mentions in the beginning section of the book prior to the massacre. I want to see a visual timeline of how things lined up prior to.

I will be seeking out other books written by Ms. Colbert and I hope to see more of her works in the future.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really readable, insightful YA nonfiction about an important part of US history. Reading about the way the Tulsa Race Massacre was intentionally kept out of the mainstream media, even on a local level, was wild. As always, reading about the unchecked violence, corruption, and literal murder from this era is mind-blowing. As Brandy Colbert says in her afterword, it makes you wonder what the historical takes on our current time period will look like in the future. Discussing the similarities between the 1918 and 2020 pandemics, she also asks the question: "Is history bond to repeat itself no matter what, or does it repeat itself because so many people don't want to look to the past to see how we got to the future?" After describing a recent 50-state survey that showed a concerning lack of knowledge about the Holocaust from millennial/Gen Z respondents (63% didn't know that six million Jewish people had been killed, with 36% believing it was less than half that; 11% believed that Jews caused the Holocaust) she goes on to observe that "Trauma is painful. It's difficult to discuss, and often even harder to make sense of. But pretending so-called unspeakable things simply didn't happen is not the way to grow, to become better people or make a better world. Not only is it utterly disrespectful to the people who list their lives in such genocides, but it is detrimental to the lives and progress of the survivors and their descendants." It is tempting to bury our heads in the sand to avoid confronting our past, but we have proven that that will only lead to more pain, suffering, and injustice.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
This is an important book that belongs in every secondary school library. It isn't what I was expecting, only part of the book focuses on the Tulsa Race Massacre. The other piece of this book is truly a history of Black America. The book jumps along a timeline, including the history of Greenwood and Black Wall Street, slavery, reconstruction and the dramatic changes that came to Black Oklahomans after statehood in 1907. I am a little hesitant at the readability for students with the timeline jumping, wishing instead that the book had been divided into three parts: the vital backstory of events, laws and beliefs that led to the the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Massacre and events immediately before and after, and then the cover up and recent attempts to recognize the catastrophic event.
Even with my hesitancy about the organization of the book, this is a vital and necessary nonfiction title and the information in this book needs to be introduced, discussed and analyzed in every US and Oklahoma history class.

[Brianna Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Stories matter, and it also matters who is telling these stories." -Colbert, 202

I never learned about the Tulsa Massacre in school or college. Makes me feel robbed. I would love to see this book be required reading in US history courses.

[Kathleen Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read!! And the afterword by the author. I want to print and get it into the hands of every American

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be an accessible entree to the subject matter, informative without feeling like I was reading a textbook. I would recommend it to those who want a succinct, mildly propulsive account of the rise and destruction of Black Wall Street and some background on its prominent people.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Birds in the Sky is an excellent introduction to the history of Greenwood and the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Rather than focusing solely on the events of the massacre, it gives readers a thorough understanding of the community that it took place in and the environment that such a thing was able to happen in. Various chapters give us the history of the land Tulsa is built on (such as Indigenous removal from the land, the Trail of Tears, slavery, and land runs during westward expansion), a brief history of Black people and the way they were treated in America and Oklahoma in the decades following Emancipation, a history of race riots and lynchings in America, the history of newspapers, and Black newspapers, and racist reporting in America (which played a role in this case in particular). The chapter on the history of the building of Greenwood and how it came to thrive is fascinating.

Throughout the book, there are also chapters that are given dates instead of chapter titles and numbers, dates that correspond to the days leading up to and the days during the massacre. These often take a more narrative approach, while still being filled with historical facts, eye witness accounts, photographs, and information about what we know for sure vs where historical opinion may deviate based on absent information. Once the chapter supplying the information about the massacre itself happens, the numbered chapters begin to cover the aftermath of the massacre (including the persecution of the Black community and suppression of white wrongdoing) and the legacy of the community and the massacre (including a refusal to acknowledge this history by most whites and the more recent resurgences in a willingness by the public to tell and hear these stories).

Overall, this is an excellent introduction that ensures no one could mistake what led to these horrible events, and that readers leave with a thorough introduction to understanding what happened. After reading this, I definitely feel more prepared to read denser works on the subject as well. Highly recommended.

[Sophie Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you heard about the Tulsa Race Massacre? Have you grappled with the reality of this event and the legacy of Black trauma in this country? This book is a very important read that I hope is incorporated into all history curriculums. Brandy Colbert, already one of my favorite authors, expertly tells the horrific history of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre beginning at the roots of Tulsa, to the thriving of "Black Wall Street'', to the incidents that lead to the massacre by white supremacists, the massacre and the aftermath. Interwoven with quotes from survivors and the bigger picture of what was going on outside of Tulsa we are told this history that can not be forgotten. I definitely recommend it!