Between May 31st and June 1st of 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma was home to the bloodiest known race war in U.S. History. The ordeal was spurred on because of the Tulsa Tribune’s sensationalized story of a young black man, Dick Rowland, who was going to the top floor of a building to use the restroom. The young, white female who worked as the elevator attendant, Sarah Page, accused Rowland of attacking her. There is no written statement provided by Ms. Page, and there are even some who say she never accused him of rape at all. A witness to her interview stated that a third party, a male who saw her in the elevator crying as Rowland walked away, had summoned authorities. She told police she was not assaulted and told them she did not want charges filed against Mr. Rowland. There is controversy and a shroud of mystery as to whether Sarah Page and Dick Rowland were involved in a relationship, and it is likely they knew each other, at least in passing. Dick Rowland was arrested at his mother’s house in Greenwood Village, a dominantly black community in Tulsa. The Tulsa Tribune…show more content… The Mount Zion Baptist Church, which had been under construction for years, had only stood complete for forty days before it was burned to the ground during the riot. There were unsubstantiated claims of the church being used as an arms and explosives storage facility for a black uprising against the whites. There was never any evidence produced to support such claims. Witness accounts of the church’s demise said that there was a large group of armed black men and their families that had taken refuge in the church from the fighting. When the mob began burning buildings and homes around the church, the men began returning fire on the attackers. They held the church for a long while and the whites were unable to advance on the large and well-fortified
