Five deadly race riots in America that destroyed successful and thriving black communities and businesses

Greenwood was the most thriving African-American neighborhood in the United States before the Tulsa riot in 1921, where it was attacked by a white mob.

The massacre which began on May 31, 1921, resulted in two days of bloodshed and destruction.

The rampaging white mob attacked and destroyed the properties of the black inhabitants living in Greenwood, leaving hundreds of black residents stranded.

With a population of 10,000 at the time Greenwood District had thrived as the hub of African American business and culture, particularly Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma nicknamed the ‘Black Wall Street’.

It is believed that at least 100-300 people, mostly blacks, were killed while a thousand more were left homeless in the two days of fighting.

The riot ignited after a 19-year old black shoe shiner by the name Dick Rowland was accused of raping a 17-year-old white female elevator operator called Sarah Page.

Nearly 100 years after the worst racially motivated massacre, the search for victims believed to have been buried in graves began.

The search will afford residents of Tulsa and the survivors of the massacre an insight into a crime scene that was never fully investigated, according to reports.

In this piece, Face2Face Africa revisits five deadly race riots in America that destroyed successful and thriving black communities and businesses: