​

Hey, #NoteddTribe! We are coming to you today with so much Black joy, pride, and greatness after our long, holiday weekend in Tulsa.

Visiting Tulsa was eye-opening, inspiring, and, can we also say: hot chile. We were sitting in rooms with a spectrum of Black media owners and professionals, from the pioneers to legacy makers who have been in the biz for 10-20+ years to many like us who are new with desires to hold the baton and create new media spaces. We learned from leading experts and business partners to improve our current services and add new offerings to help advance our business and financial growth.

And the city! It's alive, filled with its own culture and beauty. Black Tulsans are working to build back what it was by making the history of Tulsa present and in the forefront, but also let it be the driver to push forward as a community that is on a pathway to continued success and Black excellence.

You hear about the 1921 Race Massacre, more often now within the last two years. If we are being honest, it's history that we just learned about when most of the world did too. What isn't present in our history books or even in the media is how the survivors were able to rebuild from the massacre and were successful for decades. As shared by author and graphic designer Carlos Moreno in this article,

Greenwood became one of the most successful Black neighborhoods in the country in the 1950s and 1960s as "Black business owners were operating 40 grocery stores and dozens of confectionaries across the mixed-use 35-block community."

It was a government-led "urban renewal" project that built a highway literally through Greenwood District, washing away Black-owned businesses. But despite this part of history not being told, Tulsans are there to preserve the city's history, restore its growth, and make it even better.

If you couldn't tell, Tulsa was an incredible experience for us, and we can't wait to return. We feel that it's our responsibility to share and continue to share this untold history. Tulsa survived, rebuilt, restored themselves, and thrived until they were feared again and driven out.

That's the fabric of Black people; we will always survive, rebuild, thrive, and do it all over again. Our favorite quote from Maya Angelou is, "my mission in life is not to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." We hope you enjoyed our version of this little unknown Black history.

Lastly, thank you to the Black Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute for the opportunity to learn and journey alongside some impressive heavy hitters in the Black-owned media industry and be immersed in the Tulsa culture and community. #SupportBlackOwnedMedia

As always, #StayNotedd!

​

• It's officially summer, and it sure feels like that in most places! Tuesday was this year's summer solstice, marking the first day of summer. Blavity contributor Leslie D. Rose sat down with spiritual adviser and yogi Brandis Rawls of BMoRaw to learn about four rituals we can do ahead of the summer solstice. But hey, it's never too late to start them now though!

​

• Heartbreaking isn't strong enough to describe watching mother and daughter Lady Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Arshaye "Shaye" Moss testify before the January 6 Committee on Tuesday. They each detailed the harassment, targeting, and trauma that began between the 2020 general election and the 2021 Georgia Senate Runoff election. In addition to watching Moss and Freeman's testimonies, here's a recap of the main takeaways from Tuesday's hearing. A reminder that today's hearing starts around 3 pm.

​

• June is National Homeownership Month, a time to promote the benefits of homeownership and opportunities for future homeowners. Yet as reported in this CNN opinion piece, both the Black-White and Latino-White homeownership gaps are wider than before the Fair Housing Act passed in 1968. According to Bankrate, the LGBTQIA homeownership rate is 49%, nearly 20% lower than the national average of 65%. So what is being done to close the gaps and the resources we can take if homeownership is an interest? Learn more here and here.

​

• Who else has Break My Soul on repeat? It's a mantra within itself, right? Well, many are connecting the song to the Great Resignation, calling it an "anti-work anthem."

What do you think?

Is Bey telling folks to leave their 9-5s or is she referring to something else?

​👍 Yes, Bey is telling folks to leave their 9-5s​

​😐 No, she's referring to something else​

• So, what does a federal tax holiday mean? Learn how it would work at the pump, affect the economy, and why it's just three months?​

​

• On the same day that the Senate is voting to advance a bipartisan gun bill, the Supreme Court ruled that Americans have a right to legally carry guns in major cities, including Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, and elsewhere. The Court's decision also strikes down a New York law requiring people to demonstrate a particular need for carrying a gun to get a license to carry one in public.

​

• Congratulations to Columbia's first Black Vice President, Francia Márquez, the first Mexican-born woman to be sworn into Congress, Texas Rep. Mayra Flores of Texas, and the First Native American to be appointed US Treasurer, Marilynn Malerba!

​

• We're continuing to track our nation's primary elections. Learn about the key takeaways from Tuesday's primaries and runoffs in Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

​

• Over 40 organizations signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to strike a deal for the release of Brittney Griner. Organizations that signed the letter are the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, National Urban League, and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). This letter comes after it was reported that Griner will remain in Russian custody through at least July 2.

Honorable Mentions

As we close out this newsletter, we had to share a few organizations we can all help stand with in support of the Tulsa massacre survivors and descendants, and support those who are continuing to tell the story of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa community.

​Greenwood Rising is a non-profit organization governed by an independent board of directors who manages the history center that honors the icons of Black Wall Street and memorializes the victims of the massacre. The center examines the lessons of the past to inspire meaningful, sustainable action in the present, and the organization oversees its programs and operations.

​

​Justice for Greenwood is a network of volunteers, advocates, attorneys, academics, experts, massacre survivors, descendants, and others agitating for reparations and justice on behalf of survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Its mission is to secure justice and reparations for the Greenwood community and Diaspora through direct services, public education, and advocacy. You can help support their work in revitalizing the Greenwood community and addressing the major areas of racial inequality and injustice directly caused by the massacre: health, education, real estate, and business.
​

​

We had an opportunity to meet and hear from the founder of The Black Wall Street Times. Nehemiah D. Frank is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Black Wall Street Times and a descendant of two families that survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The BWSTimes focuses on elevating the stories of the beloved Greenwood community, the stories of the Black American experience, and speaking truth to power. You can visit their site and follow them on social media to keep up with their latest work.

​

​

​STAY INFORMED | STAY CONNECTED | STAY NOTEDD​

Interested in being a Tribe Talk speaker? Have any content ideas? Are you launching a product or service? Have any major accomplishments to share with theup?

Reach out to us and we'll add it to our next issue.

​TWITTER | LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM​

​