Smitherman, A.J. (Andrew Jackson)
1883-1961 · Contribution: 1913-1921
Founded the Tulsa Star, a Black newspaper that informed Greenwood residents of their legal rights and documented racial violence
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Quick facts
- Category
- Business & Misc.
Impact on the world
Smitherman wielded a Black press that refused to stay silent about racial terror, insisting on Black legal rights and self-defense, a stance that made him a target of the false narrative used to justify the massacre.
Sources
- HISTORY.com (9 Entrepreneurs Who Helped Build Tulsa's Black Wall Street)
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