Four-time NBA champ LeBron James to produce documentary on 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
LeBron James and his production company SpringHill Entertainment is teaming up with CNN Films to produce a documentary called “DREAMLAND: The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street,” which is centered around the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, a news release said Tuesday.
“At SpringHill, we embody empowerment and focus on shining a light on stories that are the fabric of American history,” said Jamal Henderson, SpringHill’s chief content officer, in the release. “We cannot move forward until we acknowledge our past and this is about honoring a prosperous, booming Black community, one of many, that was brought to an end because of hate.”
James, the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar, along with Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson and Philip Byron will team up with Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton of CNN Films to produce the documentary, which will be directed and produced by Salima Koroma. According to the release, HBO Max has bought the streaming rights to the film.
“With the lack of historic journalism around ‘Black Wall Street’ and the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, we are honored to be partnered with CNN, which has a long-standing record of credible and groundbreaking journalism,” Henderson said in the news release. “We are bringing this documentary together with a diverse crew, including local Tulsans, and making it our mission to uplift voices and people while creating impactful content.”
There have been many stories and books written on the massacre, including by Tim Madigan, a former reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who authored “The Burning” in 2003.
Between May 31 and June 1 in 1921, thousands of white people attacked the Black residents and businesses in the affluent Greenwood neighborhood — known as Black Wall Street — in Tulsa after a 17-year-old white woman accused a 19-year-old Black man of “inappropriate behavior inside an elevator inside the Drexel Building,” the release said.
The event is considered one of the most horrific incidents of racial violence in U.S. history, History.com said.
The initial death toll was estimated at 36, but historians now believe it’s closer to 300, perhaps more, McClatchy News reported.
Last week, investigators searching for the remains of victims from the massacre discovered at least 10 bodies in an unmarked grave in Tulsa, McClatchy News reported.
“CNN Films could not be more proud to partner with The SpringHill Company for this long-overdue recognition of the tragedy of what happened in Greenwood, and to contribute to the reconciliation that comes with the acknowledgement of history,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent and content development for CNN Worldwide. “Salima Koroma’s vision will yield a truly thoughtful film.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Four-time NBA champ LeBron James to produce documentary on 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre."