Berry, Simon
1890-c.1941 · Contribution: 1910s-1920s
Founded one of the first Black-owned transportation businesses in Tulsa, including taxi, bus, and charter aviation services
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Responded to Tulsa's whites-only taxi service by founding his own Black-owned transportation company, eventually expanding into bus service and a charter airplane service catering to wealthy oilmen, a notably diversified entrepreneurial response to segregation.
Life & background
A pilot and entrepreneur in Greenwood, Berry responded to Tulsa's segregated, whites-only taxi service by starting his own Black-owned taxi company using a Model T Ford, later expanding the business into a bus line and, eventually, a charter airplane service that served wealthy Tulsa oilmen.
Sources
- HISTORY.com; CNN; TulsaPeople
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