Memory Work: John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park

On September 13^th, Rhodes hosted the lecture Monumental Problems: The Monumental Debate in Historical Perspective to provide analysis into the ongoing arguments surrounding the historical monuments. In the debate Professor Jackson noted that a major problem with some of the confederate monuments is that they “sugarcoat” the past, simply creating heroes and villains from complicated stories. One idea brought up by Professor Jackson was that monuments should serve as “Memory Works,” (2). Where some monuments traditionally give one-sided accounts, Memory Works allow for more democratic thinking by displaying an “ongoing thought process of the past.” A couple examples given were the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany and the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. Jackson explains that as each invites the visitor to engage in the memory of the holocaust and the Vietnam war, they are enabled to contribute to a forward moving conversation. One such memory work that best models the way the United States should approach thinking about the past is the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

            Seeking to memorialize the Tulsa race riot of 1921, the park’s presentation of the complex contextual relationships between blacks, whites and natives exemplifies how monuments need to provide a full story. By 1921, with its economy and population growing, Tulsa was considered the “Oil Capital of the World.” A great reason for this was the thriving African American Greenwood District, also known as “Black Wall Street.” However, in May of 1921, white Tulsans rioted against blacks by burning down buildings, looting, and even killing members of the black community (1). The aftermath of the riots left thousands jobless and homeless, and the Greenwood district is now one of the poorest areas of Tulsa. In 2009, the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park was constructed to memorialize the violence against the Blacks and Native Americans in the race riot. What allows the park to provide a holistic view is the way it displays the violence and presents the importance of the African Americans in the construction of the Oklahoma economy. In a section of the park called “Hope Plaza,” there are statues of a white man with a gun, a black man with his hands raised, and the red cross director holding a black baby, each titled “Hostility,” “Humiliation” and “Hope,” respectively. These images provide powerful memories that show to the visitor how the blacks were betrayed by the whites that benefited from the Greenwood District’s success. However, the statues also tell a complex story of how members of the Red Cross assisted the victims, and how not all whites were behind the riots. Although the history of the race riot may be complex, the parks founder, John Hope Franklin, claims “will have the opportunity to confront the things that are constructive and that are instructive,” and that “reconciliation its not as simple as it sounds but it is very important that we develop these commitments or efforts, for if we do we will make life easier,” (4). Because the reconciliation successfully confronts the complex history surrounding the riot, it may serve as a source for “forward moving conversation”

            Ultimately, the race riot in Tulsa greatly embodies the larger mistreatment of slaves who helped build the developing United States. Just as the Reconciliation Park tells the entire story and inspires forward thinking, so too should monuments or memorials that come from periods evolving the mistreatment of slaves. Rather than just removing monuments that “idolize” a specific side or party, the U.S. should seek to replace these with monuments and memorials that tell the whole story.





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Ellsworth, Scott. “Tulsa Race Riot.” Tulsa Race Riot | The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma History Center, 2009, www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=TU013.

Jackson, Jeffrey. “Monumental Problems: The Monument Debate in Historical Perspective.” 13 Sept. 2017, Memphis, Rhodes College.

 “John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park.” John Hope Franklin, John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation, 2013, www.jhfcenter.org/reconciliation-park/.

Loveladyandassociate. “JHF Center.” JFC Center, 9 Nov. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dSeBWo4OCk.