Greenwood Rising: The Black Wall Street History Center has a new Executive Director: Dr. Raymond Doswell.
2 News Oklahoma met up with him to talk about his plans, which, he says are not only for the museum but the community.
Doswell studied African American History and was looking for a lead role. This seemed like the perfect fit.
“There is nothing like it in the country that deals with this type of trauma, but also hope and the experience that happens after that,” said Doswell.
Doswell grew up in East St. Louis where a series of riots in 1917 were also swept under the rug.
“We touched upon it a little bit, but for years no one talked about it in any major way in terms of education,” he said.
Doswell comes to Tulsa from Kansas City where he worked at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. With thousands of annual visitors there, he is tasked with getting more guests in the doors of Greenwood Rising. He plans to accomplish that with more programming.
Greenwood Rising already partners with Tulsa Public Schools to ensure all 8th graders get a chance to visit the museum.
On a bigger level, Doswell wants the museum to stand for something: be advocates.
“I think we can play an important role in the growth of our community.”
Doswell hopes Greenwood Rising will eventually be a model on how to showcase history in other communities.
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