EDUCATORS’ GUIDE

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR

BRANDY COLBERT
 DEAR READER,
When I was a kid, I dreaded history class. Not just any
history—American history. Black Americans were hardly
present in my textbooks; I knew there was more to learn,
but we always studied the same handful of people, the same
handful of events, and only during Black History Month. I
was in my mid-twenties, with a degree in journalism, when
I began to educate myself on Black history—which is very
much American history—and realized how empowered I felt
by this knowledge.
Even so, I was still surprised a few years ago when I first heard
about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Just three hours from
where I grew up in Missouri, Tulsa was a town my family
and I had visited several times, and one I’d always considered

Art © 2021 by Natasha Cunningham

safe in an area of the country that didn’t always feel so for
Black people. How was I unaware of the destruction of the
historic Greenwood District, a thriving neighborhood of
Black business owners and professionals so successful in the
early twentieth century that Booker T. Washington dubbed it
“Black Wall Street”?
Because white Tulsans didn’t want to discuss it. At the time,
many were ashamed of what had happened, and even if they
weren’t, public officials had concerns that the violence of this
devastating event would scare people away from Oklahoma, which had been a state for only fourteen years. And
Black survivors of the massacre were sad, angry, and fearful of history repeating itself.
But eventually, people began to talk again. About the thousands of homes and businesses—almost forty city
blocks—burned to the ground. About the thousands of innocent Black Tulsans taken prisoner as they watched an
angry white mob murder their families and friends. About Dick Rowland and Sarah Page, the ambiguous pair at
the center of this story who were all but forgotten as the violence, looting, and fires raged on.
Black American history is beautiful and horrific, full of progress and setbacks that have defined the story of the
United States since its founding. But no matter how it looks, everyone deserves to know the truth about the past
and how it informs the present. I am honored to share with you the story of the Greenwood District and the Tulsa
Race Massacre of 1921.
-BRANDY COLBERT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brandy Colbert is the critically acclaimed author of the young adult novels
Pointe, The Voting Booth, Finding Yvonne, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph,
and Stonewall Award winner Little & Lion, as well as the middle grade novel
The Only Black Girls in Town. A trained journalist, she also worked with
boundary-breaking ballet dancer Misty Copeland to adapt her memoir into
the bestselling book Life in Motion: Young Readers Edition, and co-adapted the
young readers edition of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Born and raised
Jessie Weinberg

in Springfield, Missouri, Brandy now lives and writes in Los Angeles, and is on
the faculty at Hamline University’s MFA program in writing for children and
young adults. You can find her online at www.brandycolbert.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK
On June 1, 1921, the vibrant and affluent Black community in segregated Tulsa, Oklahoma, was devastated by a
targeted, racist terror attack. But the tragedy did not occur in a vacuum. One hundred years later, this nonfiction
text draws from oral histories and archival sources to provide an undaunted account of the Greenwood massacre
and to hold a mirror to the unjust, inequitable policies and conventions that have historically emboldened anti-
Black violence and underpinned US racial dynamics to this day.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Consider our cultural narratives, especially those you’ve them in school before? If not, why do you think that is?
learned in classrooms. Think about Black experiences in Discuss how you see these Black leaders’ legacies having an
the United States—particularly once slavery ended. What impact today. What are some of the consequences of erasing
counter-narratives—or narratives from the perspective them and their contributions?
of those who’ve been historically marginalized—did you 8. Describe what “entitlement” means in your own words; then,
find in this text that tell a different story than the ones we discuss its role in the racial tensions outlined in the text.
get from many history books? Think about erased events Find some of the passages where the author describes white
and experiences being brought to light, as well as how people as resentful or angry or afraid. How do these feelings
marginalized perspectives also reframe events and figures and the racist discrimination and violence they fuel relate to
we know well. the idea or the belief of entitlement?
2. Discuss the historical significance of all-Black towns to 9. How does power over systems like government, law
the Black community. What spaces do you have where you enforcement, etc. allow prejudice to thrive and normalize
are safe to be yourself? Why are such spaces important to oppression? Think about how Black people’s human and
the distinction that Colbert makes between surviving and civil rights have been infringed upon as well as how crimes
thriving (p. 41)? against the Black community go unpunished. Use examples
3. Describe the ripple effect of disenfranchisement. How do from the text and consider the ways systemic racism against
policies like discriminatory voting regulations (literacy the Black community and other communities of color still
tests, residency requirements, etc.) or laws like the Black operates today.
codes and Jim Crow remove power from communities? 10. What do you make of the fact that white mobs and rioters
Use examples from the text to discuss what resistance to so routinely targeted wealthy and otherwise successful Black
disenfranchisement looked like in the decades after slavery citizens and businesses? Or that white vigilantes and lynch
ended. What does resistance look like today? mobs attacked whole communities, not just an individual,
4. When discussing the origins of the Ku Klux Klan and its role for alleged and often fabricated crimes? How does striking
in further entrenching systemic racism, Colbert names the at Black Americans’ livelihoods relate back to entitlement?
Klan as terrorists and their racial violence as terrorism. Why What connection can you draw with acts of racial injustice
is this important? What are some consequences of reframing today?
the Klan’s anti-Black violence as anything less than domestic 11. What is “resilience”? Describe what it means to be resilient in
terrorism? your own words. Is resilience always positive? Find examples
5. Discuss the role of media in the Greenwood massacre and the in the text of Black individuals’ or communities’ resiliency.
racial tensions surrounding it. You can talk about white-run How have you needed to be resilient in your own life?
newspapers underreporting racist violence like lynchings, 12. Define “justice” in your own words. What would justice look
and their false reports about allegations that fueled white like for the Greenwood residents and their descendants?
mobs (p. 74). Consider also how media like the film Birth of How does your vision for justice relate to present-day calls
a Nation emboldened a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan and for racial justice (such as M4BL’s “Vision for Black Lives”)?
racial violence. What role do news media, films, and books
play in the racial injustices happening today? 13. In her afterword, Colbert hopes that if readers take only one
thing from the book that it be that “history matters. Stories
6. Relatedly, describe the significance of Black communities matter, and it also matters who is telling these stories”
publishing their own newspapers. What role did the Black (p. 202). What does she mean by this? How do stories and who
press play in the decades of segregation? In the Greenwood tells them matter to our collective understanding of the Tulsa
massacre specifically? What connections can you draw Race Massacre? What are the consequences of some stories
between these historical newspapers and present-day Black being erased and only certain voices and perspectives being
news sites (look up examples if you’re unfamiliar)? heard? How can we ensure that the histories, experiences,
7. Colbert introduces several influential Black historical figures and perspectives of marginalized people are honored and
in this text. Had you heard of any of them or learned about valued?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Ask More Questions. Have students research their
home state’s racial history. What laws or policies
disproportionately affect(ed) the Black community?
Who are some of the historical Black leaders and what
were some of their contributions? What are some
landmark racial justice events or accomplishments?
Students can write up their findings or draw and
annotate a timeline.
Reflect and Act Up. Ask students to keep a reading
journal to write or draw their thoughts and questions
about the information in the text. These responses don’t
need to be shared. Individually or in small feedback
groups, have students create a racial justice action plan
with concrete steps they can take to contribute to racial
justice initiatives of their choice. Keep in mind that
Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, and
other students of color can contribute to racial justice
with actions related to self- and community care.
Extra, Extra! Have students work in pairs, small groups,
or individually to research one of the Greenwood Black
entrepreneurs or other Black historical figures from the
text and write up a newspaper profile for the person,
complete with pictures. The profiles can be compiled
into a “Greenwood Who’s Who” special issue.
The “Other” Nonfiction. Have students research early
twentieth-century Black poets and read some of their
poems written around 1921 (Langston Hughes is a great
example). After reading the ways Black poets captured
the Black experience, students can try writing their
own poems to reflect on their learning and relationship
to racial justice. Encourage experimentation such as
a “blackout” poem using (photocopied) pages from
Colbert’s text or other sources.
Histor y’s Audience. As a class, listen to the survivors’
accounts of the Tulsa Race Massacre (some of the same
accounts Colbert uses in the text).
Tulsa Historical Society: www.tulsahistory.org/
exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre/audio
Voices of Oklahoma: voicesofoklahoma.com
Create a table to compare and contrast the details
provided by survivors, then discuss as a class how
to engage with and use different, even conflicting
perspectives to give an authentic account of the event.
Ask students to use journals or share aloud in pairs
to reflect on their own feelings and reactions to the
survivors’ stories.
TIPS FOR EDUCATORS
Black Birds in the Sky as a complement to a racial justice Nonfiction as a primer on facts vs. opinions. Not only
histor y lesson or a unit on early twentieth-centur y can students learn to break down where and how a text
Black ar tists/ar tistr y. Studies show our brains receive uses factual evidence to support opinions or to draw
information more effectively in the form of narrative. reasonable conclusions, they can also try their hand at
Narratives can also trigger empathy and connection— fact-checking by looking at some of the cited primary
powerful learning tools, especially for higher stakes sources themselves. This skill set is increasingly vital
lessons about racial injustice. Synthesize reading in a world of misinformation, and provides a great
material by assigning activities like blog posts, TikToks, foundation should students choose to transition to
or creative writing that provide space for students to college or another setting where they’ll build research
make connections between different sources and their skills. This works well as a small group activity, where
own comments or questions. each group will produce a brief report to sum up their
findings. Groups can collaborate on a written report,
Black Birds in the Sky as a tool to explore nonfiction
multimedia display, or video.
itself. Encourage students to consider the various
ways text can be structured—features like fact boxes, Nonfiction for self-reflection. Nonfiction texts,
footnotes, nonlinear or nonsequential narrative, etc.— especially those dealing with complicated and
and how each of these elements functions to highlight painful topics, can make space for students to locate
primary source information. How do these elements themselves in historical contexts, current events, social
enhance the author’s own voice and purpose? Activities systems, and global movements when students make
like annotating a chapter allow students to identify connections between the information and their own
different structural elements, as well as what they’re lives and experiences. Pair the nonfiction text with
communicating and how they reveal the author’s poetry or fiction, a relevant documentary, or speaker,
informational goals. and have students write or record reflections over the
course of a unit or semester. The reflections themselves
Nonfiction as an inquir y-based learning tool. Nonfiction
don’t need to be evaluated, rather for a final activity,
reading strategies help students engage with and take
ask students to review their reflections and write about
the lead in their own learning. This empowerment is
how their knowledge, understanding, or perspective
also strengthened when students choose a topic and
changed from the first entry
text that interests them. They can start by considering
to the last.
what they already know about a subject and any other
sources they’ve encountered. Next, ask them to think
about what it is they expect to learn. Why do they think
the author used certain text structures and features;
what information is communicated via images, figures,
or maps? Finally, they can reflect on what they’ve
actually learned, both in terms of new knowledge
about the subject and about the nonfiction book itself.
Consider allowing the students to peer review each
other’s answers to these questions to strengthen their
final write-ups.

Guide prepared by Anastasia Collins, MA, MLIS,

librarian, youth literature scholar, anti-oppression HarperStacks.com
educator. Follow her at @DarkLiterata.