Little, Mabel
c.1896-2001 · Contribution: 1913-1960s
Built a multi-decade hair salon business in Tulsa's Greenwood District after arriving with $1.25
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Arrived in Tulsa with only $1.25 and built a successful, multi-decade hair salon business, surviving the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and living to 104 years old, becoming one of the last living connections to Black Wall Street's original era.
Life & background
Arriving in Tulsa from Boley, Oklahoma in 1913 with just $1.25 to her name, Little opened a hair salon in Greenwood and built a successful career in the beauty business spanning decades. She survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and lived to age 104, becoming one of the longest-surviving witnesses to Black Wall Street's original community.
Sources
- HISTORY.com (9 Entrepreneurs Who Helped Build Tulsa's Black Wall Street); Tulsa People; NBC News
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