TULSA — What used to be empty window space is now being used for a history lesson.
While waiting for new businesses to come in, a local attorney is partnering with the Major Taylor Association, highlighting a famous cyclist and prominent figure in the black community.
"One of the things that we're wanting to do with this project is to raise some awareness and also I think it's important to be able to utilize some of the space that is not being used right now so we started with the window space," WPX Energy attorney Kevinn Matthews said.
This is part of recent efforts to build up what used to be known as Black Wall Street, a thriving neighborhood before the 1921 race massacre.
"We're telling the history of African Americans who have done great things right here on Black Wall Street and around the world and this is an opportunity to make people aware of a great African American, a great black person, that was involved in cycling," Senator Kevin Matthews said.
This comes at the 120th anniversary of Major Taylor winning the one-mile world championship. Senator Matthews hopes this will have a positive impact on the children in his district.
"They will be what they can see and they need to see that there has been a great African American or black cyclist that has done things around the world. That's something they don't know, and they can't see themselves doing that unless they know this type of history," he said.
Business owners hope filling the space will bring more people to the neighborhood and create opportunities to learn about the history of Greenwood.
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