Stradford, J.B. (John the Baptist)

Impact on the world

Built the 54-room Stradford Hotel in Greenwood into the largest Black-owned hotel in the country, while advocating that pooling Black economic resources was essential to community advancement; falsely accused of inciting the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, he was forced to flee to Chicago to escape prosecution and threats to his life.

Life & background

Born to a formerly enslaved father in Kentucky, Stradford earned a law degree from Indiana Law School after graduating from Oberlin College, then built businesses including pool halls and boarding houses before relocating to Tulsa in 1899. Working in tandem with O.W. Gurley to develop the Greenwood District, Stradford purchased and subdivided land for Black buyers and built the Stradford Hotel, valued at $75,000 and considered the largest Black-owned hotel in America. After the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed his hotel and fortune, Stradford was falsely indicted for inciting the violence and fled to Chicago, where he continued advocating for racial justice using his legal training.

Sources

1. HISTORY.com; Historic Black Wall Street