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KW Exclusive: A letter from the director, Salima Koroma

The first time I ever heard about Greenwood, Oklahoma, I was a college student. It was 2009, and I took an obscure African-American Studies class to learn about Greenwood, the all-Black enclave in Tulsa that was burned to the ground in 1921 by White outsiders. One hundred years later, it’s now commonly referred to as “Black Wall Street.”

I’d read about the Black shop owners, doctors, lawyers, socialites, churchgoers, and theater enthusiasts; the marvelous buildings and hotels they built, the elegant upper crust houses they called home, their country clubs and the jumping “choc” joints they attended on Friday nights. My imagination ran wild, thinking about the beautiful dresses the women wore, the band music they listened to, the confectionaries, theaters and grand convention halls that existed there. 

My elation at having found this secret, beautiful world of 1920s Black excellence was rivaled only by my devastation at its destruction. And shame that I’d never heard of the Black utopia that existed right in the heart of America. Why have most Americans—most Tulsans even!—never heard of the massacre that left hundreds of Black Tulsans dead and thousands without homes, businesses or family members?

Our film, Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street, raises this question and attempts to tell the history of Black Wall Street from the Trail of Tears to Trump, from the perspective of people who still live there today. 

Greenwood was not the only successful all-Black district in America. In fact, it was just one of dozens of all-Black towns that were burned to the ground by Whites from 1917 to 1923 in terrifying acts of racial violence. Some of these events were encouraged by the respective political structures. In Greenwood, the police deputized White citizens to “arrest” Black residents the night of the riot.  

But I want to be clear about something: Violence against Greenwood’s Black residents didn’t end in 1921. In the 100 years since, the community has gone to war against gentrification, red-lining, eminent domain, and urban renewal (which Black residents refer to as “urban removal”), all of which have served to displace and disenfranchise Black residents. 

Since 1921, the few stories that have been told about Greenwood have focused solely on the massacre. And it’s important to know about the massacre—but when I think about the 1920s, I think about a time in American history that’s booming, prosperous, magic. I think about grand scenes from The Great Gatsby. But you never hear about the Black Gatsby. The utopias that Black people created right here in the American heartland. 

My hope is that Dreamland can bring that Black utopia to life.

- Salima Koroma

Did you miss one of our Dreamland events?

We're thrilled that so many of you joined our CNN Films events this month. If you missed it, catch up with the recaps below. 

• A conversation in partnership with The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture (moderated by CNN Anchor and Senior Political Correspondent Abby Phillip)
• An exclusive panel featuring director Salima Koroma (also moderated by Abby Phillip!)
• A conversation about Black wealth in America in partnership with CNN Business (moderated by CNN Associate Writer Jazmin Goodwin)  

Credit: Lea Houston

A viewer's guide to Dreamland

Ahead of the Dreamland premiere on Monday, May 31 @ 9 PM ET, we’ve curated a reading list that gives insight into Greenwood’s rich legacy and its ripple effects on our shared present. We’ve paired these suggestions with photos from Langston University student Lea Houston, who participated in CNN’s photojournalism workshop and turned her lens on contemporary Black Wall Street to help us see it with fresh eyes.

Credit: Lea Houston

First up, learn more about Greenwood’s history:

• See what Black Wall Street was like 100 years ago
• Trace the path from Tulsa to this popular Chicago shop
• Hear a historian's personal story of ‘Black Freedom on Native Land’

If you have a younger audience in your home, be sure to share this special edition of CNN 10 that recounts the history of the Tulsa massacre for students.  

Credit: Lea Houston

From there, read expert analysis on how the effects of the massacre are with us today:

• A century later, a city still struggles
• How we can build a new ‘Black Wall Street’
• Ways to invest in Tulsa and champion Black businesses

For more in-depth coverage about the making of Dreamland, check out these pieces:

• The New York Times on telling the story of the Tulsa massacre
• The Los Angeles Times on how storytellers like Salima Koroma fought to share this history
• The Associated Press on the intense research that shaped the documentary
• The Akron Beacon Journal, the hometown paper of Dreamland executive producer LeBron James, shares this review

You also don’t want to miss this Q&A with Koroma from WarnerMedia Inclusive's Managing Editor Isoul Hussein Harris.

And, on HBO Max, watch two shows that highlight the horror of the Tulsa massacre. In Lovecraft Country, a search for a missing father turns into an otherworldly trip, struggling to survive against terrifying monsters. Watchmen is set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are "outlaws"; Regina King stars as the lead detective in the Tulsa Police Force.