They Bombed Black Wall Street From The Air—Then Erased It On May 31, 1921, white Tulsa destroyed the wealthiest Black neighborhood in America in what the U.S. Justice Department now calls a "coordinated, military-style attack." Greenwood District—known as Black Wall Street—was home to Black-owned banks, luxury hotels, newspapers, and millionaires. The violence began after 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a Black shoe shiner, was accused of assaulting 17-year-old white elevator operator Sarah Page on Ma